What is Justice Without Mercy?
by Electric-angel-wings
Summary: A relationship built for financial gain, or an accidental relationship built from misfortune and care? Which could make her happier: Financial stability or emotional? Fareeha Amari is usually content, but for the first time in her life, she finds herself in a position where she's anything but.
1. Sickness and soup

A/N: This story sort of happened...I hope you enjoy it and the chapters to come! I have to credit one of my friends for some of the ideas used in this first chapter, you know who you are! :) Enjoy!

Fareeha rolled over in bed and lifted a hand to rub her face, the panting of another beside her the only other voice in the dark room.

"God damn." said the voice, thick with a Mexican accent, "You really know how to bust a girl, huh?" The woman rolled over on her side and placed a finger on Fareeha's bare chest, "Maybe I should come up with a little more cash and ask you to be my permanent booty call."

"You mean like your girlfriend?" Fareeha asked with a cocked eyebrow and a suggestive grin.

"Yeah…something like that." Said the Latina, leaning down to kiss her partner for the night, "Would you say no?"

"I'd have to think about it." Fareeha replied, sitting up and looking over her, "I'd have to be more to you than a 'booty call.' You'd have to buy me dinner sometimes, you would have to fuck ME every once in a while. Maybe even cuddle with me every so often. You know."

"Oh for god's sake." The other woman laughed, groaning, "You're such a sap."

"Come on, Sombra." Fareeha laughed, rolling the "r" teasingly, "Don't you…want to know what it's like to be with someone who you can settle down with?"

"Nah." Sombra replied, sitting up and crossing her legs, "To tell you the honest truth, I never really thought about anything like that. For so long it's been fuck and go, fuck and go. Sometimes Hombres sometimes Mujeres, nothing has ever been consistent…"

Fareeha lifted a hand to put some hair behind her ear and felt a small blush creep over her cheeks as Somba took her face in one hand and ran her thumb over her lips, "Except you, mi monada."

"Oh stop." Fareeha sighed, lifting a hand and placing it over Sombra's, "You just said you're not interested in settling down. You'd be surprised with my lifestyle outside your 30 minutes you've bought every Wednesday for the past five months."

Sombra scoffed and took her hand back, placing it on her chest, "I like to think I'm special since you only sell yourself to me."

"You talked me into it." Fareeha rolled her eyes, looking away.

"Ah…but did you regret accepting?" Sombra giggled, poking her shoulder. Fareeha resisted only slightly, brushing her hand away and rolling her eyes.

"I like the way you squeal." Fareeha commented after a few moment's pause, turning her head slightly, the corner of her mouth curling up, "And I've learned a bit of Spanish from you I never would have learned from my high school class."

"Like what?" Sombra asked, laying back on the bed and reaching to the nightstand where a bottle of beer lay.

"Joder…" Fareeha said and Sombra who had taken a mouthful of beer, choked slightly and managed to swallow the mouthful before laughing heartily at the pronunciation.

Fareeha continued, "And when you get a call in the middle of sex its 'Joder mi vida.'."

"That's like…my catchphrase." Sombra ginned, licking her lips, "And what about you? Do you have anything to teach me?"

"Besides vulgarity?" Fareeha asked, reaching over the bed to grab her underwear, "Well…"

"No, tell me all the naughty things I can say to you if you agree to be my girlfriend." Said the woman, lifting her hand to do air quotes mockingly at the word girlfriend.

"Mmm…Enta Habibi." Fareeha said, leaning towards her teasingly, "Ya Habibi Bahebak.

Sombra received a shiver at the sharp sound of the beautiful language. Fareeha continued, "Hayet albi enta"

Sombra grinned and lifted her head to whisper in her ear, "What does that mean?"

The taller girl turned her head and kissed the other woman's soft lips, letting go slowly and grinning sweetly as the face on the normally aloof girl seemed unusually relaxed and unguarded. The woman's eyes were so sharp and focused and intelligent that it was almost startling when they looked to be anything else.

"It means, in English, 'you are the life of my heart.'."

"Come back to my place tonight." Sombra said immediately, placing a hand on Fareeha's chest.

"Was that an order or a request?" Fareeha grinned in response.

"I have quesadillas, Hayet albi enta."

"Oh my god let me grab my jacket." Fareeha laughed, turning away immediately and stumbling off the bed exaggeratedly in an effort to make the younger woman laugh. She succeeded in achieving a chuckle and an eye roll.

"And bring a change of clothes." Sombra added, lifting a hand to run a thumb along her bottom lip, "None of mine will fit your particular….physique."

She took a moment to admire the physical prowess of the woman walking to her dresser. Fareeha had been working at a gym for the past few years as a personal trainer. A gym membership was free for her as long as she worked there, and Fareeha had taken advantage of it. As a naturally muscularly built woman in general, if exercised, she truly was someone to be admired.

Sombra wasn't exactly sure if she should ask Fareeha for permission to be her girlfriend directly now. It seemed such a silly thing to her, asking someone to belong to another. She would go about her life as if Fareeha was hers and hopefully she would reciprocate. If not, it would be addressed.

Either way, she couldn't wait to get the dark skinned woman undressed again after dinner.

* * *

Fareeha walked along the road to work slowly, admiring the day. The snow fell slowly from the gray sky. The wintertime was neither Fareeha's preferred season nor her least favorite. She didn't feel at home in the heat either. She was the kind of person that adapted to any situation and had no preference. As long as she had her apartment and certain little things like her girlfriend and her gaming systems to make her happy, she would be fine. While snow was slightly inconvenient, she admired it more than she found it annoying. Fareeha enjoyed the cold, sharp air and found some happiness in watching her breath fog even through her blue scarf that she had wrapped around her mouth and neck.

Her coat could have been thicker and today wasn't the best day to wear her jeans with holes in the knee, but she figured she would be just fine as soon as she got to work. It would be enough. As Fareeha walked through the park with her hands in her jacket pockets, she watched the kids play in the snow. She grinned genuinely, knowing that they were innocently enjoying themselves without effort.

In a moment's time, the woman looked from the snow beside her and beyond a group of people to what looked to be a small woman in the middle of a field, crouching down with her hands held up around her face. Fareeha squinted slightly, bothered by the whiteness of the snow…

The woman was standing on the lake.

Fareeha instantly began to calculate how many days it had been since it had been cold enough for the water to freeze over. She shook her head as it didn't matter, beginning to race towards her. As she bolted closer she realized that the woman was holding a camera in her hands and she was taking a photo of a rabbit who had let her approach it close enough for a picture.

"Miss!" Fareeha cried, reaching where she thought was the edge of the lake, "MISS! Please excuse me, you're standing on the middle of the-"

She paused as the woman gave no reaction. She had ear buds in, listening to music. Fareeha sighed rolled her shoulders, then began to slowly step out over the snow. She didn't know how thin the ice was, but she could feel it beneath her boots.

"EXCUSE ME!" Fareeha continued to cry, shuffling across the ice, "MISS!"

No reaction.

Fareeha heaved a sigh and rushed forward at a quicker pace now, looking over her shoulder to see how far she had come out. She had a moment of regret as she neared the woman out in the middle of the lake, knowing that it was less likely for the both of them to get to safety without incident. She hoped someone had seen her by then and thought to be at the ready to help if something should happen to the both of them.

"Pardon me." Fareeha said as she approached. She noticed that the woman had blonde hair, tied up into a ponytail. She thought it was an odd fashion choice considering the season, but the fact that she had a stylish scarf to accompany her winter coat made her choice fashionable. Fareeha rested a hand on her shoulder and flinched as the woman jumped harshly in surprise.

"What?" the small woman shouted, stumbling back and pulling her headphones out of one ear, "Oh…"

It took her only a few seconds to realize where she had wandered out to, and by the time she had processed the danger she had accidentally put herself in alongside the stranger, a loud cracking sound made itself known beneath their feet. The ice beneath began to give way. Fareeha gathered up the rest of her nerve, reached out and grabbed the blonde by the wrist and began to bolt towards the shore.

"God damn it god damn it god damn it." Fareeha muttered under her breath severely as the cracking became louder, "God damn it god damn it god DAMN MY LIFE."

"IM SORRY." The woman shrieked, "IM SORRY OH MY GOD."

Fareeha felt her weight shifting and in a rare moment of impulse she tugged at the woman's arm, brought her to her chest, picked her up and slung her over her shoulder. She was small enough and Fareeha had the upper body strength to support her.

It was a bad decision. The sudden difference in weight distribution made the ice crack under Fareeha's feet faster and as the athlete pushed herself to run as fast as she could towards the shore. She felt herself losing traction the more she ran and in a split second decision, she picked the woman up, held her out and threw her with all her might onto the bank. As Fareeha did, the ice beneath her finally cracked and she slid into the freezing water.

Letting out a loud shrieking sound as her lower body was dunked into the lake, Fareeha clawed her fingers against the snow covered surface of the ice, clenching her jaw as an aching pain made itself known through the entirety of her legs. The woman on the shore scrambled the rest of the way up and turned to cover her mouth in shock.

"Oh my god are you okay?" she cried.

"WHAT DO YOU FUCKING THINK?" Fareeha panted, pulling herself up onto the thin ice. As she made her way up, the ice she had been using to support the rest of her body cracked away and Fareeha plunged completely under the water. It was disorienting. The shock of the temperature change was enough to knock her out, but she forced herself to stay aware. She opened her eyes and looked up to see the hole she had fallen through, then turned her head and saw that she was very near the edge of the bank. She found her strength and swam her way under the ice, found her footing near the edge of the lake and broke the ice with her shoulders.

The woman she had saved let out a startled shout as Fareeha burst through the ice, and then rushed forward to help her out of the water. Fareeha, shivering so hard she quaked, crawled out onto the snow and fell down, taking Angela with her so that both ended up flat on the ground.

All was still then, and the blonde sat up and looked down at her guardian angel, biting her lip and listening to her teeth chatter.

"Well then." Said the blonde, "Are you alright?"

"Not…not particularly at the moment, no." Fareeha shivered.

"I am so so sorry. My name is Angela Zeigler," She explained, "I was out there taking a picture for my photography class a-and I obviously didn't see where I was going. Can you walk?"

"I can try." Fareeha hissed, "My name's F-fareeha. Fareeha Amari. It's nice to meet you."

Angela laughed, despite the situation. What a polite person.

The smaller woman helped Fareeha to her feet and she did her best to support her shaking legs as she brought her to her car. She placed Fareeha in the passenger's seat and hastily turned the car on, letting the warm air flow through the vents and over Fareeha's shivering form.

"It's not much…but it's all I can do for now." Angela said apologetically as she slipped into the driver's seat and shut the door, "Do you need a ride home?"

"I was on my way to work." Fareeha said through chattering teeth, "It's not far from here…do you think you could drive me the rest of the way?"

Angela shook her head slowly and narrowed her eyes in confusion, "You don't want to go home?"

"Believe me I do." Fareeha admitted, holding her shaking hands to the vent on the dashboard, "I need money more than I need warmth at this moment in particular."

Angela frowned and lifted a hand to put some hair behind her ear, "I'll drive you to work so long as you go home and get some dry clothes to change into okay?"

Fareeha had no idea why the woman was being so kind, but she nodded and smiled. Angela felt like she owed the taller woman who had saved her from worse damage than she, herself had received. It was the least she could do. She wished she could do more.

Fareeha directed her to her home and rushed inside to change her clothes. It took all of her strength to leave her comfortable apartment, but money was her greatest motivator. Fareeha's hair was still wet as she locked the door and pulled the hood of her hoodie over her head to cover her face from the freezing wind. As she huddled back in the small car, Angela smiled sympathetically and began down the road again.

"So where are we going?" She asked gently.

"I work at a gym nearby." Fareeha sighed, giving her the address and name of the company. Angela nodded and reassured her that she would get her there quickly. A silence fell over the two. Fareeha looked at the beautiful girl out of the corner of her eye. Kindness was a rarity in that day and age and that made her so much more attractive. She didn't know if Angela was going out of her way to drive her since she felt like she owed her or if it was because she was simply generous…Fareeha jumped to attention at this thought.

"Thank you for driving me to work." She said, "Could I pay you for gas?"

"No no, it's not trouble at all." Angela insisted, "You wiped out really hard and went out of your way to help me. It's the least I can do for you."

"You don't owe me for anything." Fareeha said genuinely.

Angela felt a pang in her chest…what a rare personality.

"I'm repaying kindness with kindness." Angela replied simply.

Fareeha shivered a bit more, finally feeling warm again. She wanted to say more but she felt it was unnecessary. As they approached Fareeha's workplace, the taller woman let out a loud sneeze. Angela turned her head and giggled, "Bless you."

Fareeha sniffed and thanked her as she wiped her nose on the sleeve of her hoodie, "Get home safe okay?" she told the blonde as she stepped out of the car.

"I will, thanks to you." Angela smiled. Fareeha gave her a grin and shut the passenger side door and waving politely before running up the steps of her workplace.

"FAREEHA." Called a familiar Russian accent as soon as she pushed her way through the door, "Where the frilly hell were you? I had to cover for you!"

"Sorrya, Zarya." Fareeha sniffed, "I fell in a lake."

There was a moment's pause as the alarmingly muscular woman realized what her co-worker had said.

"That's not something someone says out of the blue without an explanation." Said the trainer, "Are you okay?"

"Well I'm at work, aren't I?" Fareeha smiled, shrugging as she made her way to the break room, Zarya following close behind, "I just feel awful. But when do we ever feel good about coming to work, right?"

Zarya put her hands to her hips and shook her head, "You need to go talk to the boss. He'll let you go home early today if you tell him what happened. You could get sick if you don't take care of yourself."

"I'll be fine." Fareeha dismissed her with a scoff, "I haven't gotten sick in ages. Let me just hang up my coat and we can get started."

It was at the end of her 8 hour work day that Fareeha realized that she had definitely caught something bad. As she walked home alone in the orang light of the sunset, the night chill falling over the city fell over her as well. Suddenly doubling over from a sudden pain her stomach, she stopped to sit on a bench by the park where she had been earlier that day. She stood very still with a hand placed against her stomach to sooth the sudden cramp. Whatever she had come down with felt too intense to be a cold so she assumed it was the flu.

She took a deep breath, the cold air stinging her lungs, and she stood up to walk the rest of the way home. Exhausted and physically spent, Fareeha stumbled into her apartment, lifting her hoodie to wipe her runny nose. She winced as she noticed that the skin just under her nose was beginning to get irritated and red.

From deeper inside her small apartment she heard humming. The lights in the kitchen were on and she heard the sound of something cooking. Heaving a huge sigh as she wasn't expecting company, Fareeha shed her hoodie and left it on the back of the couch.

Fareeha already knew who it was. She had only ever given her house key to one other person, and she seemed to be cooking something on the stove.

"Hey there." Said Sombra, "I decided to sneak in here and make you some dinner while you were at work. I even timed it so that I would be doing it when you got home like those white couples in black and white moves do."

Sombra turned to look over her shoulder and just as she did, Fareeha caught the scent of strong spice and her already nauseated stomach began to churn. While normally such a smell would be enticing, it overwhelmed her sensitive nose and as exhaustion mixed with rising illness, she lifted a hand to cover her mouth in the sudden fear of the sensation of regurgitation.

"Oh good god you're sick." Sombra said in alarm as Fareeha bolted across the room to the kitchen sink, "WAIT I JUST PUT THE POT IN THERE WITH THE-"

Fareeha held in her quick lunch that afternoon and lifted the pot full of diced onions and other vegetables and placed it on the counter before she let lose.

"OH FOR GODS SAKE." Sombra yelled as Fareeha emptied her stomach and gripped the edge of the sink, dizzy.

"Sombra please." Fareeha moaned, turning her head slightly, "I appreciate you making me dinner but would you not be so loud?"

"Go get your ass upstairs while I clean this up. I'll leave you some stuff in the fridge but I'm getting the fuck out of here. There's no way in hell I'm getting sick." Sombra said, lifting a hand to cover her mouth and nose.

Fareeha walked out of the room slowly, her head spinning while she listened to Sombra banging around in the kitchen, hurrying to leave. The sickness had already done a massive number on Fareeha and she sighed as she heard the door slam and lock behind Sombra. She stepped into the shower and washed herself thoroughly before brushing her teeth and crawling into bed in a tank top and sweat pants. Happy to finally be resting her tired body she felt herself slipping into sleep faster than usual. A visit to the doctor crossed her mind, but she would wait to see how she felt in the morning.

As Fareeha drifted off into sleep, she was rudely jolted back awake by a knock at the door only a few minutes later. She assumed it was Sombra since her girlfriend had made a habit of forgetting things whenever she visited. Fareeha had at least 3 of Sombra's outfits in her laundry every week. Fareeha stood with great effort and plodded down the steps to the front door.

As she unlocked it and opened the door slowly, sticking her head out into the cold, instead of her girlfriend glaring at her, she saw a pair of wide blue eyes staring in surprise. In her clear tiredness, Fareeha sighed gently, recognizing the girl from the lake that morning.

"Oh…hi." She greeted her, "Angela isn't it?"

Angela nodded eagerly as Fareeha incited her in, opening the door wider to allow Angela in. The smaller girl allowed her eyes to fall as she moved inside. She caught a glance of the figure of the woman and felt another pang in her chest. It was the third time that day that this odd person had struck her as something positive. Fareeha did mention that she worked in a gym earlier that day. Angela didn't know why she expected anything less. What she didn't expect was this level of…fitness. She found her much more striking with less clothing and more of her dark skin exposed with her muscles clearly defined in the low light. Angela watched as Fareeha hastily shut the door behind her and put her hands in her pockets, turning around and slumping against the door wearily. Fareeha smiled tiredly down at the slender girl in a white sweater and jeans. She was dressed beautifully. Perfectly in style for winter. Her hair was still pulled up and beautiful…and her eyes were bright and expressive. Fair skin and hands with fingernails painted blue.

"I uhm…" Angela began after both noticed they had fallen into a lull, "I brought you some chicken soup."

Fareeha watched as Angela held out a container of soup, big enough for two. She lifted a hand to rub her eyes, yawning and covering her mouth, trying to think of something to say that could possibly thank this girl effectively.

"God I…" Fareeha began, "I just didn't expect company tonight so I'm sorry I-if I…"

Weak and nearly spent, Fareeha took a step forward but all she succeeded in doing was stumble forward, grabbing onto the banister of the staircase to support her weight. Angela jumped to attention and set the soup on the first stair, then placed her arm around Fareeha's back, her hand on her stomach, "Let me help you to the couch."

"No I'm okay I am…Really I promise I'm okay." Fareeha insisted, taking Angela's hand and moving it upwards, just under her breasts since her hand hurt her to be placed against her stomach. Angela's finger's prickled with sudden sensation and Fareeha punched her arm to try and keep herself awake, "I'm…ugh. Some help to the couch would be appreciated."

Angela smiled at the confirmation and placed a hand to Fareeha's chest, supporting her with all her strength. Fareeha was much bigger than she expected and much heavier as well. The taller woman stumbled towards the living room couch and as she began to shift her weight to lay down, she realized Angela was still holding on to her. It was too late to stop Fareeha's heavy decent and she took the small girl with her. With a quiet shriek, Angela let go of her guardian angel as Fareeha turned on her back and grabbed onto Angela's arms to hold her steadily, letting her land softly against her chest.

All fell still and the blonde's eyes snapped open. She lifted her head from the comfortable surface and Fareeha's hands on her arms, supporting her in a gentle grip in case she were to fall onto the floor. Angela bit her lip as she felt the potential strength in her hands alone. Fareeha felt a flush of heat rush over her face and neck as she stared up into the innocent blue eyes of the woman atop her, she hurriedly turned herself to the side, facing the back of the couch in embarrassment. Not thinking clearly, she let go of Angela and accidentally brought the light girl with her and ended up pressing her against the cushions.

"I'm…so sorry." Fareeha pleaded, lifting a hand to cover her face.

Angela lifted her head to place over Fareeha's heavy shoulder. She settled herself between her and the couch cushion found herself relaxing, her eyelids drooping almost naturally.

"It's not a problem." Angela whispered comfortingly, resting her arm over Fareeha's side, "It's…been a while since I've hugged someone."

Fareeha, flushed and embarrassed, replied, "You live alone?"

"How'd you guess?" the small girl giggled, "I wanted to come by and see if you were alright. I figured that chicken soup, you being sick or not, would be a nice thank you gift."

Fareeha hummed sleepily, beginning to slip out of consciousness, "Mm…'m just so tired. Thank you."

"That's okay." Angela said comfortingly, lowering her head and closing her eyes, breathing in the scent of another for the first time in a long while, "Don't mind me. Just sleep."

Fareeha decided that despite everything, she could be in a worse position. A cute girl between her and the couch, keeping her warm and providing her with strangely relaxing company? Fareeha sighed deeply and fell limp. Angela took it upon herself to rest as well. The figure blocking her from the edge of the couch was comfortable, soft, strong, and warm. Through the thin fabric of the shirt she could feel how built Fareeha was. It was hard for Angela not to touch. She moved her head from the top of Fareeha's shoulder to her chest, hesitating for a precious moment before closing her eyes and nuzzling into her chest. In Fareeha's sleep, she involuntarily put her arm around Angela's back, holding her against herself tightly. A flush of apprehension fell over Angela at the sudden advance, but she realized she was doing the same sort of thing and Fareeha was only asleep.

She turned her head only slightly to feel her cheek brush against Fareeha's. Angela paused and turned her head away, back into her shoulder. Fareeha's clean scent was comforting…warm and sweet. She must have just taken a shower.

Angela had no idea what time she fell asleep but she slept comfortably with Fareeha keeping her silent company. Fareeha was comatose for hours as was Angela, both stirring a few times in the night, only to involuntarily hold the other closer. It was an oddly quick bond, but neither was awake to respond to advances. They simply felt a comfortable presence beside them and it was natural to get closer or more comfortable next to the other.

When the morning light began to stream through the windows and onto the two, Fareeha stirred. Her internal alarm clock got her up at that exact time ever morning. She was pleased to feel a warmth next to her first thing in the morning. It soothed her aching joints and she turned her face into Angela's hair, thinking it was Sombra. Delirious with sleep, Fareeha had forgotten last night's events and thought that Sombra had come back to sleep with her. She stirred gently and lifted herself slightly to move herself over the figure. She nuzzled against her temple, brushing her hair away, placing kisses over Angela's cheek and down her neck.

The sweet sensations woke Angela and she hummed gently, involuntarily turning her head into the warm kisses, smiling at the tickling sensation. Fareeha brushed her fingers through her hair and over her neck. Angela felt the breath leave her. Then she felt a hand sliding over her back and down the back of her pants and into the back of her underwear.

"Mmm. You want to get in a fuck before I go to work?" Fareeha rumbled.

Angela's eyes snapped open in alarm and she sat up, pushing Fareeha off the side of the couch and onto the floor, "NO! I WOULD NOT!"

Fareeha landed heavily with a thud and sputtered, blinking rapidly and scrambling to sit up, her nose running, "Angela! Angela oh my god…NO! I thought you were my-"

Angela lifted a hand to place over her neck where Fareeha had kissed her moments before, the electricity still there and alive. She shook her head, offended and oddly aroused at the same time, "I'm sorry but I have to go…" she stood up and ran around the couch towards the door.

"Angela please hold on a second!" Fareeha pleaded, "I thought you were my girlfriend! I promise I would never…!"

Before she could finish, Angela was already out the door, slamming it behind her. Fareeha let out a frustrated groan and covered her face with both hands. She never meant to mistake her guardian angel as her horny, almost insatiable girlfriend. All at once the sickness hit her and Fareeha slumped against the banister of the staircase. Looking down, she noticed the container soup that Angela had made her last night still sitting there. Fareeha felt as if she were going to kick herself, but her self- harmful thoughts were interrupted by a slam against the door and the shaking of the door handle, then a curse in Spanish.

Fareeha felt the dread encompassing her entire being as she knew that her girlfriend must have seen Angela leaving her apartment in a hurry. She knew what it looked like and she scrambled into the kitchen to hide the soup from last night.

"FAREEHA AMARI!" Sombra shrieked, crashing through the door once she had gotten it unlocked.

"Sorry! I was just on my way to work, sweetie!" Fareeha called over her shoulder and she avoided a swipe from Sombra and raced up the stairs, "I feel so much worse than last night!" She coughed heavily as she ran into her room, closing the door behind her tightly as she heard Sombra racing up after her, "I think you better leave! This might be developing into uuhh…uhhh…M…MENINGITIS!"

"You don't have no Meningitis, you liar." Sombra hissed as she threw open the door, "You CHEATER!"

"SHE'S A FRIEND." Fareeha insisted, running across the room to the other end, "She was the one I saved from the lake yesterday. That's why I'm sick! You won't even let me explain!"

"You didn't touch her did you?" Sombra shrieked.

"NO WHY WOULD I DO THAT." Fareeha lied, nearly falling over her bed to get away from her advancing girlfriend.

"That fucking puta better not be fucking with you. You hear me?" Sombra said acidly

"She's a friend oh my god, Sombra. Why are you doing this to me? I'm so sick." Fareeha moaned.

Sombra managed to grab Fareeha's shirt collar and pull her back against the bed, "Why did she leave in a hurry like that?"

"She was late for her classes." Fareeha covered for herself, "She's training to be a nurse."

"I don't know if I can trust you…" Sombra said suspiciously.

"This is the first time I've fucking done anything like this." Fareeha said exasperatedly, "Now can you please let me go? It should be proof enough to you that I explained myself and this situation. I know what it looks like but I will literally cough on your face if you don't relax."

"Mierda, Fareeha." Sombra sighed, letting go of her shirt and sitting on the edge of her bed, "I come to check on you and what do I get instead?"

Fareeha sat up slowly, holding her stomach, "It's not my fault. What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. Nothing." Sombra lifted a hand to rub her temples, "You look like death. I hope you called off last night."

"I was going to but I forgot, so I need to go in anyway. The cold air will do me good." Fareeha sighed in an attempt to justify her forgetfulness. She stood up slowly and walked to her dresser, bending down painfully to pick out some clothes for work. Sombra watched grudgingly from the bed.

Fareeha, once she was dressed in comfortable enough clothes, turned back to Sombra. The Latina looked away and the older woman sighed. For a person as old as she was, Sombra was occasionally childlike. Walking back to the bed and sitting herself behind Sombra while she pretended not to notice, Fareeha placed her hands on Sombra's shoulders and ran her hands down her arms.

"You know I'd never do anything unfaithful." Fareeha whispered against her ear. Sombra, still angry, decided to let Fareeha do what she wished. It was the most she could do for an apology, and Sombra felt like the needed a good release before she started her day. She sighed deeply and allowed Fareeha to slide her hand down into her pants where she touched her most sensitive spot in that sweet way only Fareeha could achieve.

"I'm yours, Sombra." Fareeha reminded her, nibbling on her ear, and rubbing her clit gently with her thumb, "You'd do well to remember that." She then slid her middle finger upwards and into Sombra. The Latina let out a whimper of surprise and pleasure. Fareeha smiled and kissed over her neck, closing her eyes and breathing in her familiar scent of arousal.

"F-Fareeha…" Sombra breathed as the taller woman thrust upwards at an even rhythm into her g-spot, sucking and biting at her neck, "F-Fuck."

Meanwhile, Angela paced across her room, biting the back of her hand and thinking very hard.

Did she enjoy what she felt that morning? Being touched by a total stranger never truly felt nice, but this stranger felt nice. They had slept together. N-not in the sexual way but they had napped together. It was a strange circumstance of course and it meant nothing. Fareeha had mistaken Angela for her girlfriend, Angela had heard that much as she rushed out the door. She didn't know if she should go back and talk to her and try to be her friend again. What would happen if she did? Would her girlfriend be there? Would she be angry? She was sure she saw her leave. She heard screaming from behind her just as she had turned the corner. Was Fareeha okay? Why would a girl like her be dating someone like that? Well…it didn't particularly matter. It felt so good when she was kissing her neck. It felt wonderful. Angela lifted a hand to press against her chest as her heart began to race remembering the sweet, careful kisses over her cheek and neck. Angela couldn't deny that it felt amazing. She had craved that sort of contact for such a long time. She avoided relationships solely for the fear of them getting in the way of her studies but if she were to come home to someone who could kiss and touch her like that she wouldn't mind the occasional distraction…

She knew that Fareeha wouldn't be well taken care of by the other woman she with, seeing as how the Latina had left the house. She had looked inconvenienced and disgruntled the night before, just before Angela had gotten out of her car to bring Fareeha some soup.

She shook her head and told herself that she would attempt to meet Fareeha as she came home from work that day, if she should come home early that is. Angela decided that she should make cookies as an ice breaker for conversation in case things were awkward. She then made her way to the kitchen to where she began to find ingredients for gingerbread.

* * *

Sombra and Fareeha had left each other with only a swift goodbye and a kiss from Fareeha on Sombra's neck, receiving a joking remark about how she had to wash her neck as soon as she got home. Fareeha walked into work, shivering even after she was in the building for about a half an hour. Zarya simply shook her head and told her to talk to her boss. Fareeha insisted she stay. She still wanted to be self-sufficient, and this was the only job she truly felt happy doing. She didn't want to lose it. Even though she definitely wouldn't face any consequence for taking a few sick days.

Zarya eventually took it upon herself to talk to their supervisor on behalf of Fareeha, and the sick girl was sent home after a quick look from the higher up.

As Fareeha walked home in the cold, bunching her jacket up around her face, her eyes half closed, shivering in the midday freeze she looked up to notice a small movement in a car that was parked by her apartment. The car turned off and out stumbled a familiar face. Fareeha instantly felt a pang of awkwardness. She wasn't sure how she should confront Angela about this. She didn't know if she should ignore her and walk inside, blow her off for her own protection, or at least try to apologize? She hadn't thought about that morning all that much today since her mind was occupied with getting her body to respond in the usual way without the aching stomach and weakened strength. What if Sombra was around? She seemed to be in Fareeha's apartment more than her own anyway…

Before Fareeha could make up her mind, Angela had already shuffled up to her, her breath steaming from her lips in a single sentence: "I'm sorry I ran out on you this morning…"

Fareeha lowered her head and chuckled tiredly, "I'm more sorry for touching your butt."

Angela gigged naturally and both of them smiled at each other, instantly forgiven and forgotten. Fareeha gestured for Angela to follow her to her apartment. As the two walked inside together, Angela took her coat off and helped Fareeha take off her own. They laid them on the stairs and sat together at the dining room table. Fareeha rested her head in her hand and Angela watched her in honest concern.

"Have you gone to the doctor?" Angela asked, folding her hands on the table.

"Can't afford it." Fareeha sighed, closing her eyes, "I can barely afford this apartment as it is, but thanks for being worried about me."

"…If I paid for half of your doctor's visit could you afford your antibiotics?" Angela offered.

Fareeha started in her seat and stared at Angela. The blonde began to blush.

"W…Why would you be willing to pay for a doctor's visit?" Fareeha asked, "Even after this morning?"

"I…" Angela didn't have an answer, she just felt that she should help Fareeha for some odd reason, "I want to see you well again. I'm concerned."

"You don't know much about me…" Fareeha said, shaking her head with a sad smile at refusing pure kindness and care from another, "I can't just let you help me out like this w-with money. It's so polite of you but I can't accept money from a stranger."

"Well…you touched my butt, so you can't be as much of a stranger to me as you think." Angela said, achieving a smile from Fareeha, "You technically saved me from a bad accident the other day. Why don't I take you to a quick care office down the street right now, and we can get to know each other on the way?"

Fareeha tilted he head and lifted a hand to wipe her nose on her arm. She didn't know if she should allow this to happen, truly. Even still, the woman smelled like gingerbread and her blue eyes were enticing and honest. Fareeha had been weakened in more ways than one.

The trip was short and Fareeha was diagnosed with, oddly enough, the stomach flu. Angela immediately regretted napping with Fareeha and began to worry about herself, trying to remember if she had washed her hands or if she had done anything to clean herself at all the next morning. She, training to be a nurse, knew how communicable the stomach flu was, but seeing how appreciative Fareeha was, it made the situation sweeter.

Angela took Fareeha back home and made her take a shower after her short shift at work. Angela took it upon herself to warm the soup from the other day. As she reached into the fridge to grab her container, there was a small portion of what seemed to be taco meat at the back of the barren fridge which Angela found odd, but she disregarded it and poured Fareeha a bowl of her chicken soup.

When Fareeha was done, she walked down the stairs, barefoot, in a tanktop and shorts. Angela got a view of her legs and nearly dropped the bowl she was carrying.

"Here, I made you some of the soup I brought the other day." Angela said, holding it out for her to take.

Fareeha lifted a hand to ruffle her wet hair and smiled, halting where she stood and breathing in the delicious smell.

"It smells heavenly." Fareeha said, sniffing lightly, then rubbing her nose, "Come out and sit on the couch with me."

Angela nodded and followed her newfound friend into the living room. They sat down together and Fareeha continued to ruffle her wet hair. It was adorable to the aspiring nurse as she felt small flecks of water brush against her own cheek. Angela set the bowl of soup down on the small coffee table and leaned back on the couch arm, crossing her legs.

"So what's your deal?" Angela asked Fareeha lightly, beginning conversation, "Other than your job at the gym do you have anything you're looking forward to in life? Any aspirations?"

Fareeha reached out and took the bowl of soup in her cold hands and chuckled, "Aspirations…hmm." She took a bite of the soup and closed her eyes tightly for a second, "Oh god."

"What? Is it okay?" Angela asked nervously.

"This is the best freaking bowl of chicken soup I've ever had in my life what the hell did you put in here?" Fareeha demanded

"It's a secret." Angela teased, leaning forward to nudge her gently, "I'm glad you like it. Maybe one day I'll tell you my secret ingredient!"

"It's spice!" Fareeha grinned, "Wow you put some spice in here…I can taste some paprika too!"

Angela rested her head in her hand and smiled, watching as Fareeha took another eager bite, "Wow…I'm surprised you're not studying to be a cook!"

"I thought about it." Angela admitted, "Honestly, nursing pays better and I like helping people feel better."

"I can tell." Fareeha smiled, pausing to look at the beautiful girl, "You really are something special."

Angela lifted a hand to put some hair behind her ear at the compliment and she breathed in sharply, holding herself from saying something that could be mistaken for an advancement.

"Anyway, I'm not sure what I'd like to be." Fareeha began, looking back down at the bowl, "I thought about security work for a while since I work out. I like leading groups of people to better themselves so I thought about psychology but that's more mental than physical, you know?"

"Definitely." Angela agreed.

"In the grand scheme of things, I want to be happy so…I'm trying to look for something practical that pays well. Right not I can afford an apartment…which is more than what other people can afford. If an opportunity comes where I can make more money then I'll definitely take it, easy as that."

Angela smiled at her simple look on life. She seemed content as she was.

"You seem like you've found your calling already." Fareeha said happily, "You can cook, and you seem like you're…" she paused as she noticed Angela was watching her with a strange look on her face. Fareeha found herself frozen with her spoon in her mouth. She looked into Angela's eyes and the smaller girl giggled and shook her head.

"I'm?" She asked in a sweet voice.

Fareeha felt her heart jump in her chest. This wasn't good.

"You seem like the nurse-y type!" Fareeha complimented with a laugh at her own wording, "How long have you been studying?"

"I've been training to be an RN for around 4 years now. The first year I had an internship that went on my record even before my schooling started." Angela shrugged, "It's been rough going but you know…after being around so many sick people, my immune system is technically impenetrable."

"If I got you sick I'd feel so bad." Fareeha said in all seriousness.

Angela giggled again and scooted closer to Fareeha, "Oh I wouldn't mind. I study from home anyway."

Fareeha felt a warning sensation in the pit of her stomach as a thought arose to her mind. The thought formed into a question and then the question reformed itself in her mind to sound polite…

"So do you have a boyfriend? I'm sure that a girl as pretty as you has to have somebody raring to get you on lockdown."

Sombra would have destroyed her where she sat.

Angela's eyes lit up and she leaned forward, "Nope! I've been single ever since I started my internship!"

"You sound almost proud…" Fareeha observed, the bowl almost empty now.

"I am in a way." Angela smiled, "It's sort of like an accomplishment. You know how if…you don't watch TV and read books instead and people ask you if you watch any kind of shows and you tell them that you don't watch TV?"

Fareeha tried to understand what the smaller girl meant, but her babbling was attractive either way. The taller girl nodded and set the empty bowl on the table, resting against the back of the couch, her belly warm.

"Thank you for the soup." Fareeha smiled, comfortable despite her sickness "Would you like to stay for a bit and watch a movie with me?"

As much as Angela wanted to, she had to go to her photography class in a few hours. The blonde shook her head, "I have to go for now."

"Aw boo!" Fareeha sighed, "Ah well…maybe some other time? Would you like my number?"

Angela was elated that she didn't even have to ask.

"Of course!" The nurse grinned, taking out a small pen from her pocket and taking Fareeha's hand.

The taller woman noticed how soft Angela's hands were and she found herself comforted by her touch, as hurried as it was. Angela wrote her number in Fareeha's palm and placed the pen back in her pocket with a remark about how she always liked to keep a pen on her due to her training. Fareeha watched after her as she stood up and went to leave. A quick goodbye was exchanged as well as a "see you later."

Fareeha rested against the back of the couch and listened to the door closed behind Angela. She reached out to grab the remote on the coffee table and just as she was about to turn the TV on she heard a series of quick light knocks. The taller woman stood to her feet reluctantly and opened the door, poking her head out with a smug smile down at the forgetful blonde.

"Here!" Angela laughed, holding out a box of cookies, "I made these for you too!"

"My god, will I ever see the end of your kindness?" Fareeha asked, taking the box and leaning her way out the door a bit more.

"I'm not sure you will." Angela said gently, standing on her tip toes to place and warm kiss against Fareeha's check, "Call me!"

Fareeha tensed up completely and lifted a hand to cover her cheek. Angela winked and turned on her heel to walk back to her car. The cold didn't seem to bother Fareeha as she stepped out into the porch steps and waved as she drove away. Her cheeks were hot and her chest felt tight. A fluttering in her stomach made itself known and the woman sighed as Angela's car was out of sight. She slipped back into her apartment and opened the container to receive the delicious smell of homemade gingerbread.

She walked back to the couch, taking a bite of one of the round cookies. Before she even sat down, she had to stand in place and savor the flavor of baking spice in Angela's cookies. Cardamom and cinnamon mixed with ginger…god.

She ran and grabbed a glass of milk from the kitchen and settled herself down, her only regret being that she didn't keep a blanket nearby. Halfway through one of her favorite TV shows, the sound of the door unlocking grabbed Fareeha's attention. She turned her head to watch Sombra step inside.

"Hey, hey." Fareeha greeted her, waving.

"Hey, chika." Sombra said quietly, closing the door behind her and taking off her shoes, "How are you feeling?"

"Not any better." Fareeha replied, stretching in her seat, lifting her arms over her head, "Went to the doctor and it turns out I have the stomach flu."

"Oh god." Sombra sighed, sitting next to her, "I'm sorry…"

"It's whatever." Fareeha shrugged, "here have a cookie!"

"Ohh! Where did you get these?" Sombra asked, reaching out to take a bite, "Oh my god…whoa."

"They're amazing, huh?" Fareeha grinned, "They're from Angela!"

Sombra immediately narrowed her eyes and set the cookie down, "Oh, so she's making you cookies now too?"

"I will cough on your face."

"WHY?" Sombra demanded.

"Because you're being really possessive and weird." Fareeha handed her the cookie she had taken a bite from, "Just eat the cookie and appreciate the fact that we have them to snack on right now, okay? I saved her ass from falling in a lake. She made me soup and cookies. What's so weird about that?"

Sombra took the cookie without looking away and took another bite, then rested her head against Fareeha's chest, dismissing the situation. She had enough to worry about. The taller girl put her arm around Sombra's shoulders and held her at a comfortable position.

"You want to watch something?" Fareeha asked.

"Sure! Could we watch Breaking Bad some more?"

"Of course."


	2. Snicker doodles and Video Games

"What are you doing over there?" Fareeha asked from under her covers in her bedroom.

"Nothing important." Sombra replied shortly. Fareeha turned her head away and ducked under her comforter again. She wanted attention.

Ever since she had gone into work AGAIN the very next day, the boss told her to take a week off to rest and that it would be no problem. They basically had to kick the woman out of the building before she agreed to take her sick days. There was nothing wrong with it, she just felt like she needed to stay. She had been working there every day for several years, and taking a day off was a deviation to her routine.

"Sombra…" Fareeha moaned from under her blankets.

"What is it?" The Latina snapped, obviously doing something on her laptop at Fareeha's desk.

"Could you grab me a drink of water?"

"In a minute."

Fareeha closed her eyes slowly and sighed, then stood up and went to get herself her drink of water. She sat down in the kitchen, her nose running, tapping her fingers against the table. She didn't feel like eating anything, but she felt like she should. She knew her girlfriend wouldn't be of much help since she was on her computer. Whenever Sombra was on her laptop for an extended period of time, Fareeha knew she was doing something odd. She would never let Fareeha see exactly what she was doing, only glances had revealed that she was doing something with numbers.

It didn't really matter. Fareeha was too sick to care. She wanted attention, but she needed rest more. Ultimately, rest was going to be the key factor in getting her healed enough to go back to work. Fareeha drank the rest of her water, her throat soothed, and began plodding back up the stairs. The phone in her pocket buzzed and when she reached the very top, she checked her phone to see that her new friend had texted her: "How are you doing today?"

Fareeha leaned against the top banister and replied, "Not good at all. So sick."

As she crawled back into bed, she kept her phone hidden under the covers along with her head. She grinned as Angela sent a picture of a sad face and responded: "I'm so so sorry."

Fareeha thought for a moment, then replied: "Your soup helped a bunch. I finished it last night."

Angela sent another text: "I'm really glad you liked it. Did you like the gingerbread as well?"

"Oh my god of COURSE." Fareeha responded, "It was the best gingerbread I've ever eaten. You have to make me some snickerdoodles sometime if you want."

"Snickerdoodles?" Angela replied, then sent another text, "Those are so easy, I could whip them up in a few hours."

Fareeha smiled and continued typing, "Are you just always ready to bake things?"

"I sort of always have baking ingredients stocked up." Angela texted back, "Always helpful in case I'm lonely and want to bake."

"Maybe I could come over sometime an-" Fareeha paused, bit her lip and deleted the text, replacing it with: "Well your baking is always excellent."

Angela sent a smiley face and a thumbs up: "I'll get right on making you snickerdoodles if you really wanted them. I'm sort of on an off day. I don't need to study a lot and my photography class project can wait until later."

Fareeha smiled under her blankets, "I'd pay you!"

"Oh god no." Angela replied, "You don't need to pay me. You're sick. Just tell me a good time when I can drop them off for you. Maybe we can visit a little too."

Realizing that was Angela's want all along, Fareeha typed the word: "Sure!" and then, "Come around dinnertime at 6:00. I'll order some take out."

"Sounds perfect!" Angela texted with another smiley face. Fareeha turned off her phone and placed it in her pocket, staring into the dark under her covers. She hoped Angela wasn't getting the wrong idea…

Sombra stirred at the other end of the room and Fareeha's eyes opened wider in surprise. She had forgotten about Sombra. Whenever she was on her laptop, she usually was stone still and easy to overlook. Fareeha heard Sombra shut her computer and stand up from the chair she had been sitting at, approaching the bed. began to walk towards Fareeha, the sound of her laptop closing. Fareeha stayed under her covers and Sombra sat down at the edge of her bed, resting a hand over Fareeha's side.

"Can I get you something now?" She asked, "Is there anything you need?"

"Not right now, no." Fareeha replied, relaxing, "Some lunch would be good, but I know you're busy."

"I have time to make you some lunch." Sombra said as if it was the most obvious thing she could have possibly said.

"I would like some soup…and crackers please. My stomach is so upset." Fareeha replied lifting her head up over her covers to look at Sombra pitifully.

"Aw…of course, mi alma." Sombra said gently, running her fingers through Fareeha's hair softly and kissing her forehead, "I'll be back en unos momentos."

Fareeha smiled up at her girlfriend and she looked back lovingly for a moment before standing up and leaving the room. Sombra truly did love Fareeha in her own way, it just was rare that she showed it. Whenever she did it made Fareeha feel incredibly special and loved, and Sombra knew it. Fareeha settled herself in her bad again and closed her eyes, resting, knowing that she was being taken care of somewhat for that day.

Sombra, as she found a can of soup in Fareeha's pantry, hummed as she poured it into a small pot and turned the gas stove on. She tapped her foot against the floor, waiting for it to get hot enough to eat. She absentmindedly turned her head to look back at her laptop that she had set on the small dinner table. She lifted a hand to scratch the shaved side of her head and thought very hard for a moment about a situation Fareeha knew nothing about…

Deciding to address it only after she had taken care of Fareeha, she found some crackers way in the back of a cupboard and finished heating the soup. Bringing it up on a tray for Fareeha, she walked into her room and said, "Sit up for me if you can, chica."

Fareeha sighed and sat up very slowly, smiling tiredly at her girlfriend who placed the tray in her lap. Sombra sat down and watched as Fareeha began to eat, feeling satisfied with herself. It always felt nice to take care of Fareeha…she was always so appreciative.

"Thank you." Fareeha said through a mouthful of food, "I'd kiss you but y'know."

"Then you'd have to come take care of me." Sombra teased, "I have to go in a few minutes, okay? I'll take your dishes down to the sink for you when you're done but I have some things I need to do."

"What kind of things?" Fareeha asked curiously.

Sombra paused again, thinking of something to say that was a good enough excuse to cover for what she was actually doing, "I've got some family stuff." She said, "They're visiting from…upstate."

Fareeha tilted her head, "You never told me you had family upstate."

"Yeah, my mom wanted to visit."

"How long are they going to be staying?" Fareeha asked, smiling, "Maybe we could meet each other!"

"They're only passing through." Sombra lied, "Don't worry about it, I'll mention that you said hello."

"Please do!" Fareeha happily said.

The two sat in a comfortable silence until Fareeha was done with her food. Sombra kissed Fareeha's cheek goodbye, taking the dishes and tray down before grabbing her laptop and leaving in a hurry. The older woman listened to Sombra leave and she immediately began to feel lonely as the apartment fell quiet. She slid down under her covers and closed her eyes, falling into a light sleep that afternoon.

* * *

When she woke up she stirred only slightly, then sat up and checked her phone to see the time. 5:30…Angela should be there soon. Fareeha lifted a hand to rub her eyes for a moment before lifting herself out of bed and to the bathroom where she washed her face and combed her hair. She frowned in the mirror as that didn't help her appearance whatsoever. She shrugged absentmindedly as it didn't truly matter. Angela knew she was coming to visit a sick person so she must have been prepared for an unkempt look.

Fareeha slowly made her way down the stairs and sat down on the couch, turning the TV on, and waiting for Angela to arrive. By the time she did however, Fareeha had fallen asleep again.

"Hello!" called a voice from outside, knocking loudly at the door.

Fareeha snapped awake and turned her head to listen, wondering if the voice was only a dream. When Angela called again for the fourth time, Fareeha jumped to her feet and rushed to the door, opening it to hurry Angela inside, "Oh my god I'm so sorry, how long were you out there?"

"A few minutes." Angela shivered, holding another box of cookies.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Fareeha worried, reaching out to take her coat, "Christ your nose is all red."

Angela giggled and let Fareeha take her coat and the box of cookies. The taller girl led her inside and rushed upstairs to grab Angela a clean blanket. Left alone, the smaller girl took the time to look around the living room for the first time, noticing a picture frame on a table just below the staircase. She reached down and picked it up to see what appeared to be Fareeha and some other girl at what appeared to be Fareeha's birthday party. She had dark, threatening eyes and a side shave with purple highlights in her black hair. She was being held closely to Fareeha, looking slightly disinterested. How strange…

"Okay, all I have right now is an extra sheet because all of my other blankets I've used in bed." Fareeha said, beginning to walk down the stairs. Angela placed the picture frame down and rushed to the bottom to reassure Fareeha that the sheet would be good enough and she pushed Fareeha playfully to the couch. Angela took the sheet, and draped it over the both of them and sat next to her.

Fareeha was already in the box of cookies.

Angela watched her happily as Fareeha shut her eyes and savored the flavor and texture of her snickerdoodles.

"Angela." Fareeha said in all seriousness, "Start a bakery. This isn't a request."

The smaller girl let out a giggle and lifted a hand to cover her mouth, "Well I guess I have no choice then, huh?"

"Nope." Fareeha sighed, "WOW these are amazing."

Angela smiled and reached out to take one. Fareeha saw her and held the box away from her, teasingly.

The smaller girl giggled in response and reached out, leaning over father to grab one, Fareeha held the box more out of reach and Angela crawled into her lap shouting, "Oh my god let me have one!"

"They're MINE!" Fareeha joked, holding the box way too high for Angela to reach.

"You brat!" Angela teased, "Just because you have longer arms doesn't mean you can hoard the cookies!"

"It totally does." Fareeha giggled, "But I'm not a monster. Here." She lowered the box with Angela still in her lap and let her take one.

"Thank you." Angela winked, taking a bite and pausing for a moment, tasting her own baking, "Oh…"

"See?" Fareeha laughed, looking up at her, "Told you they were amazing."

Angela looked down and noticed Fareeha's face. She was watching her with such innocent friendly eyes, dark and gorgeous. Angela tilted her head and parted her lips involuntarily.

To Fareeha, Angela's eyes were hypnotizing. They were such a unique color of blue and it looked like she was wearing lip gloss as well. Was that intentional? Fareeha felt herself tearing her gaze away from Angela's, a guilt forming in her stomach.

The obvious discomfort from Fareeha was detected and Angela snapped out of her trance, crawling off of Fareeha's lap and finding her place back under the sheet, thinking desperately of something to say break the sudden awkward tension.

"I saw that you have a Playstation." Angela mentioned as Fareeha rubbed her eyes.

"Oh! Yeah! Do you play video games?" Fareeha asked, glad to change the subject.

"Not really. I've played a few before in arcades but nothing with a controller."

Fareeha thought for a moment and set the box of cookies in Angela's lap, the smell of cinnamon still in the air as she stepped over to the console and turned it on. She grabbed the remote and switched the input to the PS4's connection. There were two accounts on the console, the other Angela assumed to be Sombra's.

Fareeha grabbed the controller and walked back to the couch, sitting down heavily and scrolling through her game library, showing off all the obviously interesting game titles and impressing Angela with how much of a nerd she was. While she knew Angela wasn't the type to be into this sort of hobby, she admired how Angela still listened with attention and asked questions.

"Would you like to check one out?" Fareeha asked.

The smaller girl nodded and pointed to an icon with a peculiar symbol on it, "That one looks cool!"

"Oh! This game! WatchOut." Fareeha smiled, "It's one of my favorite games!"

"What's it about?" Angela asked.

Fareeha booted up the game and turned to Angela excitedly, "It's a really creative first person shooter with tons of characters to play as and lots of maps you can play in together."

"Maps?" Angela asked, curiously.

"They're sort of like locations in the game." Fareeha clarified, "Special areas where you play with your characters and use their abilities to your advantage."

As Fareeha started the game and went into the character select from the start menu, Angela had never seen a stranger assortment of people before in her life. Fareeha explained each characters function, their purpose, and what they're used for. Angela had no idea what Fareeha was talking about half the time, but she still enjoyed hearing her talk anyway. Watching her play was even more confusing, but she remained interested for a good bit, watching Fareeha's expertise as she played.

"Wow…You must play this a lot!" Angela observed.

"You have no idea." Fareeha laughed embarrassingly, "So tell me about the things you like to do."

While Fareeha finished up her game and closed out of it, she listened to Angela talk about how she enjoyed nature walks and taking pictures. She enjoyed singing as well, but only in the shower. She was a very clean person and when she wasn't studying she was either cleaning or baking. Her photography class was small and local and it gave her lots of things and projects to do for fun. Fareeha found herself smiling and watching her talk. She was cute and her hobbies were innocent. As innocent as a girl could be. Fareeha admired that Angela saw the good in the world, and that was more than she could say about most of the people Fareeha had met in her life.

"I also draw sometimes but…that usually only happens when I'm really bored." Angela finished.

"I'd love to see some of your pictures sometime." Fareeha offered, "Did you get a nice picture of that rabbit that was on the lake the other day?"

Angela laughed, blushing, "Y…yeah I did actually. I won a ribbon for it."

"Aw good!" Fareeha smiled, genuinely happy, "I'm glad my heroism saved more than just a pretty girl. I'd say overall, it was a win!"

"You got sick though." Angela pointed out.

"Ah who cares." Fareeha smiled, looking away, "At least you won an award!"

Angela giggled and found her heart fluttering as Fareeha took another bite of her cookie. The taller girl rested her head back against the couch and sighed exhaustedly, "You want to call the take out place?"

"Sure!" Angela said, "Would you like me to do it?"

"If you could," Fareeha said, giving her the number, "I'll give you the address when they ask for it okay?

She told Angela what she wanted to order from memory and Angela, not really caring what she got, ordered the same. The two talked about Angela's favorite books until the food arrived. They sat together in the kitchen and ate together, talking about everything, learning about each other. Fareeha made Angela happy in ways she hadn't felt in a long time while Angela made Fareeha feel unbelievably comfortable and somewhat admired. They both found each other extremely attractive.

When it came time for Angela to leave, Fareeha hesitated and cleared her throat, achieving Angela's attention. What she wanted to say was instantly forgotten as Angela fixated her with her blue eyes.

"Thanks for coming over." Fareeha said tiredly, "And…making snickerdoodles for me."

"Sure!" Angela smiled, "It's nice to have a friend."

Fareeha tilted her head, "You don't have friends?"

Angela paused and turned her head away, "It's…nothing too complicated I just didn't want anyone getting in the way of my studies is all. I want this RN…"

"Of course, but…" Fareeha questioned, every bit of her mind begging her to be careful with her further inquiries, "Why me? I'm sure you've met a lot of amazing people."

"No one nice enough to go out of their way like you did for me." Angela said honestly, "There's not a lot of people like you out there."

Fareeha shifted where she stood and smiled shyly, unable to meet Angela's eyes.

Angela stepped forward and found herself looking at Fareeha's lips that were turned up in a smile. She wanted to kiss her…

She refrained and settled for reaching out to squeeze Fareeha's hands. The taller woman looked down and noticed Angela standing on her tip toes. She wasn't quite as tall as her and Fareeha found it adorable how she had decided to try and make herself taller for some odd reason. She tilted her head and recognized the look on Angela's face. Immediately, she squeezed both of Angela's hands and shook her head, smiling sadly.

"I don't…want you to get the wrong idea, okay?" Fareeha said gently, "I have a girlfriend."

Angela felt her heart sinking and the fluttering feeling plummeted into her stomach where disappointment began to blossom. The smaller girl lowered herself from her tiptoes and looked away, an apology on her lips.

"You don't have to be, sorry." Fareeha caught her, "I really, honestly appreciate all you've been doing for me, and I hope that you won't stop talking to me because I don't share the same feelings for you."

Angela looked up and shook her head furiously, "No! I'm not that kind of person. I'm sorry if I was too forward…you're just so cute."

Fareeha laughed again, "Well thank you, and so are you. The fact of the matter is, faithfulness and honestly is really important in every relationship. Under different circumstances I would definitely reciprocate…but the circumstance I'm in now requires me to be on my best behavior, okay?"

Angela felt a bitter sweetness in her heart and she nodded…what an amazing person.

"I understand." Angela said quietly, "She's lucky."

"Who? Oh…Sombra." Fareeha smiled.

"Sombra…" Angela repeated curiously, "That CAN'T be her actual name."

"Oh it's not!" Fareeha replied naturally, "Sombra is just a nickname, and her screen name online. Her real name is-"

The sound of a key turning and unlocking the door behind them made Fareeha's stomach drop in sudden, jarring fear.

Angela saw the look on Fareeha's face and felt a wash of panic overcome her as well.

Sombra opened the door and slid inside without looking at the two standing very close together at the bottom of the stairs. She took off her coat and placed it on the floor beside the door along with her purse.

It felt like ages to both women before Sombra actually got to turning around.

She looked Angela up and down, her dark eyes widened, and Fareeha's mouth opened instantly in protect Angela while the smaller girl backed away.

"….FUCKING PUTA!"

Angela jumped in shock at the force of the Latina's shout and Fareeha stood in front of her, "Sombra, relax. Relax, okay? She just stopped by to see what I was doing. She's a friend."

"A FRIEND?!" Sombra spat, "If she was just a friend you would TELL ME when she was over here."

Fareeha sighed, "Firstly, you never answer your phone anyway so I didn't think to text you, secondly, I didn't think you would care, thirdly, WHY DO YOU CARE?"

"Listen to me," Sombra said, stepping around Fareeha to face the pretty blonde haired girl who was halfway up the stair case, "You stay away from my girlfriend."

"Sombra." Fareeha pleaded.

"No, you both listen to me," Sombra hissed, "I won't allow this to happen."

"I-I only-." Angela began weakly, in an attempt to defend herself.

"Pudrete en el infierno!" Sombra interrupted acidly.

Fareeha gave a frustrated sigh so large it was powerful. She grabbed Sombra's arm, surprising both women by moving her forcefully away from the staircase and into the middle of the living room. Sombra, in her fury, threw her hand back and slapped Fareeha square across the face. Fareeha's head barely moved at all from the impact and Angela's breath caught in her throat.

"…You get that out of your system yet?" Fareeha asked patiently.

"I should punch your other cheek." Somba growled angrily, "Verga."

Fareeha sighed and pitched the bridge of her nose while Sombra turned her head to glare at Angela who was frozen behind the stair railings, watching on in complete shock, not sure what to do with herself.

"Don't call me a dick, Sombra." Fareeha said in a low tone, "What do I have to do to get you to see that she's just a friend?"

Sombra crossed her arms and continued to stare at Angela furiously, then turned back to Fareeha, "I'm not exactly sure, Fareeha. After what I did for you this afternoon, you honestly decide to pull this on me?"

"I'm SICK, Sombra." Fareeha insisted angrily, "She came by to help. And you just made me soup and left me alone this afternoon, stop acting like you did some enormous charity and I owe you something. You're actually deciding to ruin another friendship of mine by being possessive and angry. Angela is nice to me. I saved her from falling into a lake, and so far our relationship has consisted of nothing but light conversation and fucking cookies. You need to chill the fuck out or I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Sombra knew what that meant. She looked Fareeha in the eye and was met with angry resistance. She clenched her jaw and lowered her head in submission. Fareeha stepped away from her angrily and met Angela on the staircase. Wordlessly the two of them said, "I'm sorry." And Angela grabbed her coat, leaving without so much as a look over her shoulder. Fareeha closed the door behind her and felt a sadness overcome her. It wasn't the first time her girlfriend had scared a female friend off. Sombra's possessiveness and anger was enough to frighten anyone, and Angela was such a delicate, kind person. Fareeha was particularly furious with her after she had the nerve to tell her new friend to burn in hell upon their first meeting. She knew Angela was done. For most, any interaction with a jealous Sombra was a friendship breaker immediately, no matter how hard Fareeha tried to keep the situation calm. The woman turned and glared at Sombra who was now sitting on the couch awkwardly.

Fareeha said nothing and walked up the stair case, disappearing into her room and locking the door behind her.

As Fareeha went to bed, Sombra watched the staircase for a little while, hoping Fareeha would come back down again but she didn't. The Latina didn't mean to do what she did when it came to her other female friends. It was a natural instinct of hers to become protective over the only consistent thing in her life. She didn't want Fareeha to leave her under any circumstances and she would do anything to make sure she stayed. It was an unfortunate position. Caring too much usually turned into abuse and Sombra knew it. She had never felt the love of another before so purely and truly other than Fareeha. The Latina's partners before Fareeha were usually fleeting and fickle; Attractive but unfaithful as was the majority of her world. Men and women alike treated Sombra as if she were replaceable, but Fareeha treated her as if she were irreplaceable, and that was something Sombra felt like she would never find in anyone else. Fareeha was more special to her than she realized. Sombra was just terrible at showing her love since the only thing that had been required of her before were sexual favors.

She sighed sadly and knew that she should have at least listened to the pretty girl talk. She most likely would have said something calm and reasonable…like Fareeha. Sombra stood and walked to the stair case, ascended slowly and reached Fareeha's bedroom door. She knocked gently and no response came from the other side.

"Fareeha…" Sombra called.

"I'm sick, Sombra." Fareeha replied quietly, "Leave me alone."

"Fareeha, I'm sorry." She tried again.

"You're always sorry." Fareeha snapped in response, "She made us cookies Sombra. You could have had some too. Fucking COOKIES."

Sombra shook her head and paused as Fareeha fell silent, "I uh…I just…can I come in and explain to you why I'm so possessive?"

"Sure, Sombra. NOW you explain to me why you're a complete jerk to my friends." Fareeha spat.

A pang of pain and regret hit the Latina in the chest and she stepped away from the door as Fareeha opened it impatiently, the dark circles under her narrowed, angry eyes more prominent in the dim light.

"I…" she began, "I just…you're…the only consistent thing that's been in my life. You love me and stuff and that's more than I could say for anyone in my family or my friends or even partners who have left me for better, prettier girls like the one that was here today. I'm not trying to gain sympathy, I'm trying to apologize. I know I'm an asshole…"

Fareeha opened the door a bit wider and her eyes grew soft in understanding. Fareeha was a forgiving person, and Sombra loved her for it.

"I see." Fareeha said gently, "It's alright. You know that whatever you say can't erase the damage you do. Please try to get better with that. I only have so much patience."

Sombra nodded her head and she slowly stepped forward to wrap her arms around Fareeha's chest. The older woman's hesitation nearly broke the younger's heart but Fareeha hugged her back anyway, then gently suggested she go home. Sombra agreed and left quietly for the night.

* * *

Angela rushed into the door of her home and shut it hastily behind her, closing out the cold. She rested her forehead against the cold surface and began to process the situation she had found herself in that night. She walked into her kitchen and took her coat off, placing it on one of the chairs and sat down at the table, covering her face with both hands.

Before she had met the woman, Angela was slightly aware of how crazy Sombra was in her mind. It was nothing compared to the actual thing. Fareeha seemed so upset, but despite that, Angela felt completely put off from the relationship between her and this woman. She had better things to worry about. The more Angela thought about it, the more her chest felt a pull. It didn't feel right just to give up on someone so quickly simply because her girlfriend had a screw lose. Angela knew there was good in everyone and somehow, Sombra had given Fareeha a reason to love her. Angela didn't want to throw away Fareeha's friendship due to one bad meeting…

Concluding her strenuous thoughts, Angela pulled out her phone and sent Fareeha a text: "Hey are you okay?"

She watched as Fareeha immediately began to text her back: "Are YOU okay?"

Angela smiled and tiled her head, typing: "I'm okay. I'm really sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to create any kind of…strife between you two."

Faeeha responded in capital letters: "NO."

Angela sighed gently and watched as Fareeha wrote a lengthy response: "I'M the one who's sorry. I feel so bad. So many people have been driven off because Sombra's just…a jerk sometimes. She's protective of me because apparently I'm the only stable thing in her life right now. It makes sense but it doesn't excuse what she said. I hope that we can continue talking as we did before…I definitely don't want stop talking to you."

The younger girl smiled and placed her head in her hand, replying, "I don't want to stop talking to you either. Why don't we meet up for a movie this Friday if you're feeling up for it."

Fareeha didn't respond for a few moments, then replied, "I'm not going to be free this Friday but Saturday I'm good! What did you want to see?"

Angela typed back, "It doesn't really matter. There's a couple of things out right now that I wanted to watch."

The two continued to text through the night, the incident at Fareeha's apartment forgotten. Fareeha felt special and Angela felt right. This quick bond between them must have been something important for the incident to be discarded like that. Angela scolded herself for feeling like she should disband Fareeha for anything…

* * *

Sombra paced around her bedroom early in the morning, looking at her computer and then to her phone. She knew this was a bad idea. Invasion of privacy was something of a federal offence or something stupid like that. She couldn't help herself, after all. Considering what she hid from Fareeha on her computers, this was nothing. Sombra finally pinched herself into doing what she had wanted to do and forced herself to sit down at her desktop. She started with her name, looking around the internet for information about this beautiful, blonde hair blue eyed woman.

She found an address not five minutes later and grabbed herself a cereal bar before rushing to her car. It was way too early in the morning, hardly a time where anyone expected visitors, but Sombra continued on anyway. She felt like she needed to apologize and it didn't matter where or when, she just had to get it over with. She drove her way through the snowy streets, the radio quietly playing Christmas music. By the time Sombra drove up to the fancy apartment complex and, she had finished her cereal bar and was checking her teeth, lowering the sun blocking mirror down to check her makeup as well. As if that mattered. She gripped the steering wheel and sighed forcefully, then opened the door and stepped out into the cold. She walked up to Angela's door and lifted a hand to knock. Rapping on the door three times, Sombra let her arm fall to her side, waiting patiently.

There was no response behind the door so she decided to knock again, louder this time.

Inside, Angela had been rudely awaken by the first series of knocks, and had gotten herself out of bed reluctantly, shifting to the doorway where she unlocked it and opened it a crack, squinting against the morning light.

"Uhm…" Sombra began, lifting a hand in greeting, "Hola."

There was an awkwardness then, if not a twinge of fear from the woman in the house. Angela said nothing but only stared in confusion. Why was Sombra at her doorstep that early in the morning? It was extremely awkward between the two of them, and Sombra felt a pang of regret that she shouldn't have come. Before the Latina could excuse herself to go back to her car, Angela opened the door and gestured for her to come in. Sombra greatly appreciated her kindness and slipped inside. Angela shut the door behind her hastily and walked away from her into the kitchen. She looked like she had just woken up from a deep sleep seeing as she was still in her pajamas. Sombra found it cute that she wore baggy, pink flannel pajamas.  
Sombra followed and entered into the kitchen behind Angela, leaning against the fridge, crossing her arms. She watched in amusement as Angela hopped up onto the kitchen counter, crossing her legs. What an odd place to sit. Angela's hair stuck out messily in every direction and she yawned deeply, stretching one arm over her head with her other arm behind her head, holding onto her other. Angela then slowly relaxed down into a slumping position before noticing Sombra again and reaching into the cupboard just behind her head to grab two mugs. She sleepily began to make coffee from where she sat and Sombra began to speak.

"I won't take long." She began, "I just want to apologize for last night."

"It's really no problem." Angela replied with her eyes closed, the coffee maker beginning to filter the liquid into the coffepot, "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure." Sombra replied, "Anyway, Its okay if you keep hanging out around Fareeha. She's just my girlfriend you know. She's too handsome to not keep an eye out."

Angela knew exactly what she meant. She would feel the exact same way if positions were reversed. She nodded in acknowledgement and asked if Sombra could find the creamer in the fridge. The Latina tried not to laugh did as she asked, handing her the creamer, smiling as Angela absentmindedly took the coffee pot away from the coffeemaker as it was still filtering to pour Sombra a cup. She then placed it back under the steady stream, not noticing that she had gotten coffee somewhat over the counter behind her.

"I hope you like…d-decaf." Angela said, unable to keep her eyes open.

She was so cute…

Sombra snapped herself out of her sudden thought and she reached out to help Angela from the countertop, "Here lets…get you to bed."

"S..mmm." Angela murmured.

"Yeah, I came a little too early." Sombra apologized, "You got my apology I guess. Everything is okay. We should hang out sometime. You're pretty cool, chica."

Angela could hear what she was saying but couldn't process it very well. She appreciated the help back into her room as she would have curled up on the floor and slept there until she was ready to get up. Sombra stepped into Angela's room and was struck with a scent that made her feel a reaction that was foreign and…enamored. It smelled like a perfume mixed with what Angela must have smelled like. It was a warm smell, comforting and sweet. She helped Angela back into her double bed and Angela muttered something cute, completely out of it. Sombra's cold demeanor melted away as she watched the beautiful girl lay down in her bed, lifting a hand to hold onto the fabric of her pillow. If only Angela could open her eyes, she would have seen a very peculiar expression on Sombra's face.

"I…I'll let myself out." She said before turning quickly and rushing out of her room, not able to make sense of her feelings. Not many people must have seen the girl that way, and Sombra felt like she had invaded her privacy. At the same time, she couldn't help feeling blessed to see such a beautiful girl in such a vulnerable state. Sombra rushed out into the snow, closing the door behind her and sitting in her car for a few minutes, thinking very hard about what she was feeling. It was alarming and new. Something she had never really felt for a long long time. It had come upon her so quickly that she barely had time to process it, but her feelings were clear…

And as she identified the fluttering of her stomach and the beating of her heart, she immediately felt a regret unlike any other. She shook her head, and drove back to her home to sleep for a little while. Maybe when she woke up, things would make more sense.


	3. Bad movies and bowling balls

"So…the other day, Sombra came to my house."

Fareeha froze where she sat at the other end of the restaurant table.

"What…happened?" the taller woman asked, reaching out for her beer, slightly afraid of Angela's answer.

"She apologized I guess." The med student shrugged, taking a bite of her burger, "She showed up really early in the morning. Like 6:30."

Fareeha shook her head and took a swig of her beer, "She's crazy."

After Fareeha had gotten better from her sick spell, much to Angela's delight, she kept her promise to take her to a movie and then lunch afterwards. Talking over phone and text for the majority of the week, they finally met up at the local theater on the weekend. Both were happy to see each other. Angela was particularly stricken with Fareeha's healthy appearance.

The movie itself was such a failed performance that Fareeha had fallen asleep halfway through. Angela had noticed immediately, giggling as Fareeha's hand slipped off of the arm rest and onto her lap. The med student had nudged her awake, laughing quietly while Fareeha sleepily asked what she missed in the few seconds she was out. They had left the theater, both oddly sleepy when Fareeha had offered to take Angela somewhere semi decent for lunch. Angela listed off her favorite restaurants and Fareeha took her pick.

The topic of Sombra was undoubtedly coming up at some point in the day and Fareeha was ready for a skeptical and negative outlook from Angela…

"No she's actually sweet." Angela replied to Fareeha's surprise, "She saw I was kinda too tired to talk so she just apologized and helped me back to bed. I'm not sure if I tried to make her coffee before or if she made it herself afterwards but there was a bunch on the counter when I woke up again."

As the med school student talked, Fareeha smiled absentmindedly and looked at her phone to check the time. Sombra and she were supposed to be meeting at Fareeha's place for their scheduled arraignment on the weekends. There had been something off about Sombra. Lately, her partner had seemed to feel less and less into Fareeha's advances. Fareeha knew the girl like the back of her hand and it was peculiar behavior for her not to be interested in sex whenever possible. Since she had proved herself to be the very definition of a lover who needed physical contact to have any relationship at all, it caused suspicion to arise.

"What's wrong?" Angela asked as she saw Fareeha staring at her phone.

Fareeha lifted her head, putting her phone back in her pocket, smiling apologetically, "It's nothing, Angie…mind if I call you that?"

Angela couldn't help but grin. It was such a cute nickname…

"You can call me whatever you like." Angela said sweetly.

Fareeha felt her cheeks grow hot and lifted a hand to touch her face absentmindedly. Her heart had fluttered at the woman's tone of voice and immediately decided to ignore the giddy feeling in her chest by indulging into her burger. As she slipped back into thought again when the two fell into a comfortable silence, she considered her weekly arraignment with her girlfriend. It was always pleasant. She couldn't complain. Happy that Angela wasn't put off by Sombra's occasional bad attitude, Fareeha felt slightly more comfortable about the whole situation. Maybe the three of them could be good friends eventually.

"It would be nice to get together with you two sometime and do something fun." Angela offered politely.

Fareeha chuckled and shook her head, "The only thing Sombra likes to go out and do is bowling. She thinks she's the best at it."

"I love bowling!" Angela grinned.

Fareeha shrugged, "Well, I'll let you know the next time we go out to the alley. Sombra would love to have you come with us. She's been asking about you, y'know."

Angela smiled, "Well it's nice to know she doesn't still think I'm a…y'know. A puta."

Fareeha, mid sip of her beer, leaned forward, breathing out hard through her nose in place of a laugh as she swallowed. Angela laughed and lifted a hand to put some hair behind her ear.

"Well between us," Fareeha chuckled, "she thinks I'm more of a puta then you are."

Angela hid her displeasure behind a smile.

Fareeha continued to talk about their relationship, and the more she talked, the more Angela recognized things that weren't exactly healthy. While she knew more about the human body than the mind, she could pick up on some abusive tendencies in others and Sombra seemed to have more abusive tendencies than anyone she had ever met. Angela listened with a straight face as Fareeha told her in a laughing tone of how many times Sombra had pushed her around and made her feel like she was less of a person than she was. Fareeha seemed to think it was all a joke when Sombra smacked her around and belittled her…

To Angela, the behavior was a classic kind of possession…trying to make the recipient of the abuse feel like they're not worthy to be with anyone other than the abuser. Angela took a sip of her lemonade and attempted to disregard the sudden concern she felt toward her new friend. Then, Fareeha told Angela about how Sombra treated her when she was sick and soon, the stories told in a joking, lighthearted manner turned into something more serious.

"I mean…I don't know. What do you think?" Fareeha asked genuinely.

Angela paused to take a bite of her burger. She didn't want to offend her new friend, or Sombra. She didn't want to give Fareeha bad advice since she wasn't very keen on relationships herself. Least of all she didn't want to create a rift between her and Fareeha over being too concerned or overly critical of her personal, romantic, relationship that she knew nothing about…

"I feel like she's a bit bossy." Angela offered decisively, "You should definitely put your foot down more…I didn't like that she slapped you the other day. I'd…I'd say she's a bit abusive to you and you should talk to her about fixing that."

Fareeha looked up from her food to look into Angela's eyes. A strange emotion shone from behind Angela's blue gaze, one Fareeha recognized. It was an odd protectiveness. Angela was bothered clearly by Sombra's previous actions and hearing from a third party how Sombra acted made Fareeha slightly sick to her stomach. The taller woman took another sip of her beer and laughed nervously. Angela bit her tongue.

"That's just her I guess." Fareeha shrugged, attempting to lighten the mood, "She's a grown woman and I can't stop her from doing whatever she wants. I know the hitting thing is abusive but she almost never does it….seriously. She hasn't ever left a mark on me."

Angela shook her head, "No matter what, any kind of physical abuse is still abuse in some way. I'm sure it didn't hurt you physically when she hit you but…"

"I know what you mean." Fareeha said, cutting her off, feeling like this type of conversation was too serious to have with someone she just met. Obviously there were some feelings still lingering with Angela towards Fareeha and she could understand the frustration.

"Let's talk about something else okay?" Fareeha said cheerily.

Angela nodded and apologized awkwardly while Fareeha insisted it was alright.

After lunch together, the two went their separate ways with a promise of a text and maybe a call. Angela felt giddy with happiness while Fareeha felt indescribably conflicted on something she couldn't quite place. But she felt happy all the same.

Upon arriving home, Fareeha hurried up the stairs to the front of her apartment, breathing out heavily against the cold. Unlocking her door, she bustled inside, expecting to see Sombra on the couch or in the kitchen. As she took off her coat, she looked over her shoulder to see a dark living room as well as the kitchen. She absentmindedly called out for Sombra while she placed her keys next to her coat on the rack. No answer.

She stood there in the dim room for a few moments, looking out the window at the snow before pulling out her phone to see if Sombra had texted her at all. Sure enough there was a text she had received while she was driving: "I'll be a bit late."

Fareeha sighed softly through her nose and put her phone in her pocket, deciding to go straighten up her room until Sombra arrived. Laundry day was coming up. She hopped up the stairs and made her bed, picking up her dirty clothes from the floor. As she placed them all in an unorganized pile at the other end of the room, Fareeha thought back to her discussion that day with Angela. The sweet girl seemed to know what she was talking about when it came to Sombra. She was clearly still upset over the fact that she had watched Sombra hit Fareeha square in the face a while ago. Maybe Fareeha should have been more upset as well. It almost meant nothing to her since she felt no pain and knew that Sombra was overreacting, but what bothered Fareeha in truth was how Sombra had treated Angela, instead of how she treated her personally.

"Fareeha?" Sombra's voice broke her out of her thoughts. Fareeha jumped and dropped a few pairs of socks on the floor. She paused then turned and smiled happily at her girlfriend.

"Hi!" The taller girl greeted her, "Are you okay? Why are you late?"

Sombra, who stood in the doorway to her bedroom, seemed uncharacteristically uncomfortable. Fareeha picked up on it immediately. She walked clumsily over the clothes still in a pile on the floor and approached Sombra, placing her hands on her waist while kissing her cheek lovingly.

"Baby, whats wrong..?" Fareeha asked gently.

Sombra turned her face to kiss Fareeha and lifted her hands to place against her chest.

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Sombra breathed, moving Fareeha back into her room towards the bed, running her hands under her shirt and lifting it over her head. Fareeha grinned and let Sombra do as she would, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt her girlfriend's skilled fingers brush over her toned stomach. She laid herself down over the bed and Sombra nuzzled Fareeha's head to the side so she could get at her neck.

The girl on top nipped and bit at Fareeha's throat, making her gasp in slight pain before running her warm tongue over the mark to soothe the bite. Fareeha knew that everything she went through with Sombra was worth it as soon as she felt her fingers beginning to unbutton her jeans.

"How was lunch with Angela?" Sombra asked suddenly.

Fareeha looked up, confused. It wasn't like her to strike up conversation during foreplay.

"It was okay. The movie we went to see sucked."

Sombra slid Fareeha's pants down over her legs and she ran her hands along the inside of her thighs, hovering her mouth just above Fareeha's most sensitive spot.

"…If you and I were to go out and do something tonight would she like to join us or does she have studying to do?" asked the Latina.

Fareeha would have questioned how Sombra knew that Angela studied at all but she was too preoccupied with the sight of Sombra's magic mouth inches from where she wanted it to be.

"I could text her and see." Fareeha breathed, laying her head back against the bed and clenching her jaw in excitement and need.

"Does she like bowling?" Sombra asked, still hesitating.

The larger girl squirmed in discomfort, "I…I…Don't remember. I think we talked about it today. I'm going to say yes. I'm not sure if she would want to come with us after she was already with me today. She might be busy."

Sombra turned her head and breathed out against her sensitive spot, receiving a frustrated, pent up groan, "Well text her as soon as we're done here and we can see about hanging out."

"Why…d-do you want to hang out with her all of a sudden?" Fareeha asked, sitting up, "And she also told me that you showed up at her house at six in the morning to apologize for being an ass the other day…do you know how crazy and inconvenient that was for her?"

Sombra frowned and rolled her eyes before spreading Fareeha's legs and drawing her tongue over Fareeha's private part. No response.

The younger girl looked up to meet Fareeha's eyes. The taller woman looked down at her suspiciously now. Sombra shrugged and then moved away from her, sitting down on the bed beside her and sighing tiredly, "Well, what can I say? I was sorry and I wanted to apologize."

Fareeha shook her head, "But at six in the morning? I feel like I should make you go and apologize for apologizing so early in the morning!" Sombra giggled and bit her lip, attempting to distract Fareeha from her anger. Fareeha lifted a hand and ran her fingers through her hair, looking away.

"I'm not really feeling it." The taller girl said, "I kinda lost the fire."

Sombra frowned and put her hand on Fareeha's chest, "Then can you fuck me at least?"

"I'm not really feeling up to it right now." The older woman repeated, "Why don't we just go downstairs and watch a movie or something?"

"Please?" Sombra pushed, "I might have a few extra dollars in my purse…"

"Oh for god's sake." Fareeha sighed in annoyance, "Look, you promised you wouldn't do this…"

Sombra turned away and crossed her legs in frustration while Fareeha reached over to grab her pants. She pulled out the phone inside her left pocket and turned it on, opening a new message for Angela beginning to type: "Hey hey! Sombra said that she wants to go bowling tonight! You in?"

Fareeha placed the phone down on the bed and rested her head on Sombra's shoulder, nuzzling into the crook of her neck, "Hey…" she whispered, "I love you."

Sombra sighed and felt her stubbornness melting at her smooth voice.

She sighed deeply, "I love you too."

Fareeha laid Sombra down on the bed and rested her head against her chest while Sombra let her lie there. She stared up at the ceiling while Fareeha slid her hand up her shirt to lift her bra.

"Excuse me." Sombra said curiously, "What do you think you're doing, Chica?"

"I may not be feeling it, but I'm always in the mood for touching your boobs." Fareeha teased while Sombra laughed and called her pathetic. Fareeha heartily agreed. She lifted her head to kiss her neck while fondling Sombra's breast gently, calming her down entirely.

The phone at the other end of the bed vibrated and Fareeha sat up eagerly to see what Angela had said. Sombra sighed in frustration. The med student's response flashed on the screen: "What time and where?"

Fareeha grinned and replied with the details while Sombra rolled over and closed her eyes.

* * *

Angela walked into the bowling alley, grinning as she was met by the sound of loud music and the sharp, heavy crack of pins being knocked over accompanied by occasional cheering. After their text arraignment, Angela hadn't heard anything from Fareeha. She expected both girls to be there already.

"ERES UN TRAMPOSO!"

There they were.

She began moving towards the sounds of the Spanish yelling and cursing and caught sight of the two girls at the lane at the very end of the building.

"That wasn't fair, you cheated!" Persisted the Latina with a fire in her eyes.

"How can I be cheating? Its bowling!" Fareeha teased, nudging her, "I guess I have better accuracy than you."

Sombra scoffed and stood up as it was her turn next. Angela walked up shyly and picked a seat next to Fareeha who turned and smiled in surprise, happy to see her again. The two women greeted each other excitedly and Fareeha began to explain that their game was almost done, just a few more turns and they would be ready to put Angela in the scoreboard. Angela nodded, grabbed a few dollars and left her purse in Fareeha's lap, going to go grab her bowling shoes.

"HAH!" laughed the Latina excitedly after her last turn, "STRIKE!"

"Oh I'm sorry, Habibi, I didn't see. Angela just showed up. She's going to grab her bowling shoes."

Sombra immediately looked around for the pretty med school student but couldn't find her in the crowd. She peered at Fareeha and snickered, taking her partner's hand and pulling her to her feet.

"Let's see if you can beat me." She challenged while taking Angela's purse.

"Oh I know I can." Fareeha laughed, rushing away to grab the next bowling ball. Sombra sat down with Angela's little handbag. It was stylish and neat, almost like a cream colored miniature briefcase. It looked like it was almost brand new but then, as Sombra was examining it, she noticed the wear around the straps where Angela would hold it normally. The medical student must be a very clean person. Sombra looked over the purse more, then peered over her shoulder, looking for Angela. Not seeing her anywhere, she flipped up the top and looked into the handbag. It wasn't unlike her to be a snoop but even she knew she was wrong to look in a complete stranger's purse for no reason. Inside was a tube of peach lipstick, a pack of tissues and some makeup remover. She thumbed through the side pocket to find about 30 dollars inside and on the very bottom, hidden was a paper covered in numbers and book titles that all dealt with medical things. She quickly took her hand out, flipped down the clasp and looked up just as Fareeha spun around in a fist pump after she received a strike. Angela walked up behind her to say hello immediately after.

"Hola." Sombra greeted her, smiling.

"Hi hi!" Angela said again, walking around her to sit down just next to her, "So how are you!"

"Oh I'm…doing just fine." Somba answered, finding it hard to meet her blue eyes, "How about you? Well rested?"

"Well I needed a nap the day you came and woke me up so early in the morning, but other than that, yes I've been doing just fine. I'm glad none of us caught Fareeha's cold by the way, that was a mess, huh?"

"Did NONE of you see that!" Fareeha shouted, waving her arm.

Angela looked past her at Fareeha and laughed lightly, standing up to talk to her instead. Sombra turned and watched as her girlfriend talked to Angela with a cool resolve. She looked down at Angela's purse again and sighed in annoyance, then stood and joined in the conversation.

"Sombra, guess who just brought it home!" Fareeha teased her, nudging her again and putting her arm around her shoulder, "Your go! Your only chance for beating me now is a strike yourself."

"Oh I can do it." Sombra said proudly, looking at Angela, "I have better accuracy than her anyway."

Fareeha scoffed and shook her head, telling Sombra she could try all she liked but there was no way she could beat her. Angela watched the two interact with interest. They seemed like very good friends more than lovers. That was a good sign.

In the end, Sombra bet Fareeha a piece of pizza from the concession stand up front that she could beat her, also adding that she would have to buy Angela pizza as well. Fareeha immediately put an offer on the table with the same consequences if Sombra lost, except she would have to buy her two pieces of pizza because she was hungry as usual, as well as a piece for Angela.

"Well it's a win win either way for me, girls." Angela giggled, "Good luck Sombra!"

The Latina received a shock in her chest at the way Angela said her name. Her voice was so sweet. She immediately wanted to impress her.

Fareeha followed Angela back to the seats next to the bowling ball pick up and both watched with interest. Fareeha absentmindedly put her arm around the back of Angela's seat, leaning forward. Angela felt giddy as Fareeha's lean, toned body moved close to her as she watched Sombra make her shot. If Angela leaned back enough she could most likely smell Fareeha's hair…

The older woman let her eyes fall slightly and noticed that Angela's shirt was just ever so slightly hanging to the side, and her neck and shoulder was exposed along with her bra strap. Fareeha noticed a sweet smell from behind Angela's ear and she inhaled silently…she was wearing perfume. Then she noticed Angela leaning subconsciously backwards, closer to her.

Angela caught a scent of a musky cologne on Fareeha and she immediately began to feel attracted to her more so than before.

Fareeha wanted to turn her head and smell Angela's hair but she didn't…her stomach began to flutter. She received goosebumps on her arms as Angela turned her head leaned forward, smiling back at her, her blue eyes shining in the low light of the back lane of the building. Fareeha's heart skipped a beat as she smiled back and Angela bit her lip, looking away.

It was then that they both noticed that Sombra was staring at them both with a very unamused look on her face. Fareeha received a jab of fear, wondering if she had seen what had just happened and disapproved, but Sombra seemed to be looking at Angela more than her. Did she really just miss what had just happened because she was looking at Angela instead of her?

Angela gave her a thumbs up, and Sombra grinned then made her shot. It looked like the perfect roll and Sombra had already begun to cheer in victory before the ball hit the pins. Angela laughed and Fareeha crossed her legs smugly as the ball knocked down every pin but one, Fareeha winning the match. Sombra had already called Fareeha a bunch of obscene names in Spanish in her triumph but becames quickly confused as Angela covered her mouth, pointing to the pins behind her. Sombra looked over her shoulder and both girls burst out giggling.

The Latina crossed her arms and walked back to the girls, visibly pouting.

Angela stood and placed her hand on Sombra's shoulder while Fareeha leaned down to kiss her sweetly, "You almost did it, Ya Hayati. I'll give you money for the pizza. Go get yourself some too."

"No no." Sombra resisted, "A bet is a bet. I'll go get us some dinner before the next round."

"Thank you, dear." Fareeha said, kissing her on her cheek while Sombra grumbled and walked away.

Angela didn't like how the Latina almost didn't acknowledge Fareeha's gentle kisses and sweet words. As Fareeha and she sat back down, Angela turned to Fareeha with a question:

"What does, 'Ya Hayati' mean?"

The older girl smiled at Angela and replied, "It's Arabic for…my life. It basically means, my love. Yknow…translation…"

"I didn't know you were so familiar with your language. I recognized that you had an accent, but I didn't know you actually spoke Arabic." Angela began in interest.

"I speak some." Fareeha replied, grinning very wide, "My mother made sure I never forgot where I came from. Our native language was very important to her."

Angela leaned closer just as Fareeha did, and listened as the older woman talked about her mother, now passed. She had lost some of the ability to speak her language since her mother wasn't around as much anymore to speak it and have active conversations with, and she regretted it so. Angela nodded and listened but zoned out after a while, watching Fareeha's dark eyes as they shone in the dark while she was talking about something that made her passionate. The light illuminated her face with a warm color and Angela found herself getting lost in the simple sound of Fareeha's comforting voice. Her accent was dreamy. The med student continued to nod and smile and react when necessary, but she was so focused on her that nothing else mattered.

When Sombra returned, Fareeha was still talking happily about her mother. She didn't notice how affectionately Angela was staring at her girlfriend as she was more concerned with how Fareeha had only talked to Sombra about her mother…

"I'm back." The Latina said gently, handing both the girls their pizza and sitting down on the other side of Angela. The med student thanked her, so did Fareeha who went down on her food immediately. Angela took a bite of her pizza and some cheese fell from the drooping front in a string that connected to her mouth. Angela pulled it away and laughed sweetly as it fell over her chin. She covered her mouth and pulled out the tissues from her purse to wipe her face. Sombra watched her closely, her ears feeling suddenly hot. She was so dainty and cute and sweet…how wonderful.

Fareeha noticed Sombra looking at Angela strangely. As she shoveled her pizza down, she watched the two have a brief conversation about their favorite kinds of pizza. Angela's tastes were more refined as Sombra's were practical. She loved a lot of spice on her food as did Angela, but Angela said words like 'spice blends'. Sombra found it unendingly attractive how proper Angela was. Good manners, polite, refined taste and style...

Whenever Angela finished eating she wiped her mouth once more, then reapplied the peach lipstick Sombra had seen in her purse before. Fareeha was watching other people bowl as she finished her pizza, then wiped her mouth on her sleeve.

"So!" Angela said, turning to Fareeha who was finishing her last mouthful of pizza, "Should I start us a game?"

"If you would!" Fareeha said, sitting forward, "What about you, Sombra? You in?"

She gave the thumbs up and winked at Angela. Fareeha did a double take, watching Sombra for a moment. She finished her pizza, then looked up at her girlfriend who looked back. Sombra smiled and Fareeha smiled back. She must be seeing things...

The rest of the night consisted of Fareeha and Sombra competing cutthroat to win while Angela joined in sometimes and laughed at the shouting between them both. Angela was good at bowling, but her accuracy was a little off sometimes. She received unending support from both girls. Sombra and Fareeaha were both dangerously on point and it was neck and neck until the very end.

"I've never seen a turkey turkey before!" Angela said, clapping her hands as Fareeha got another strike and spun around with finger guns pointed at the both of them. Sombra stood up and angrily grabbed a bowling ball, shoving her way past Fareeha. Angela frowned after her. The taller woman sat back down next to Angela who watched Sombra eagerly to see how she would do. It was the last shot, just as before. If she got anything less than a strike she would lose.

Fareeha leaned forward and put her chin over Angela's shoulder, watching. Angela received a shock down her back and leaned back. Fareeha didn't mind in the slightest. As Sombra took a deep breath and rolled…she received a strike.

"TAKE THAT, PUTA!"

Fareeha jumped to her feet, rushing up to her and hugging her, laughing, "Good job, baby!"

"FUCKING…YES!" Sombra laughed as Fareeha picked her up, spinning her around. Angela stood up and watched, smiling awkwardly.

That wasn't right…at all.

As they finished up and left the building together, Sombra and Fareeha talked excitedly to each other, Angela chiming in occasionally. Her mind was full of skepticism and sadness. It seemed to be a one sided relationship. The Latina almost looked like she didn't know how to respond properly to Fareeha's romantic advances. She treated Fareeha more like a friend than she did a girlfriend. Such a waste, Angela thought.

They walked up to Sombra's car and all turned to each other, preparing to say goodbye.

"Thank you for inviting me out tonight." Angela said genuinely.

"You're always welcome." Sombra replied first, grabbing Fareeha's attention…it wasn't a normal thing for Sombra to be polite or to talk first when saying goodbye.

"It's always fun hanging out with you, Angie." Fareeha smiled.

Angela looked up at Fareeha shyly. She looked into her dark, piercing eyes and lifted a hand to place some hair behind her ear but she had forgotten that she had placed he hair in a ponytail for that evening. Fareeha laughed and leaned forward to take her hand out of instinct. She bowed and kissed the back of Angela's hand. The med student lost her breath…

"Can't you say goodnight like a normal person?" Sombra snapped, clapping Fareeha in the back of the head.

Fareeha laughed and let go of Angela's hand, "Sorry! Goodnight Angela, I'll text you soon okay? Thanks for hanging out with us."

"Of course." Angela smiled, immensely put off by Sombra's unnecessary roughness, but hiding it behind another smile, "Goodnight, Sombra!"

"Buenos Noches, mamasita." Sombra responded in a tone Fareeha didn't like in the slightest.

The couple waved after Angela and she waved back over her shoulder before all three got into their cars. Fareeha sat in the driver's seat while Sombra sat in the passenger's and as the two settled into the Latina's car, they both fell silent…

"Mamasita?!" Fareeha snapped, turning roughly to face her girlfriend.

"YOU were the one that kissed her HAND." Sombra shouted in retaliation, throwing her hand out to hit Fareeha's arm. The stronger girl caught her wrist in her hand and squeezed very tightly, looking at Sombra her straight in the eye. A sudden jab of fear hit the younger girl and she felt like she wanted to disappear.

Whenever Fareeha was serious, whatever air in the room changed to fit her, and Sombra received an important reminder that Fareeha was the one who was in control. She was so laid back most of the time, in good moods, happy and dorky so much that when she was serious it was alarming, if not scary. Fareeha was a content person and Sombra knew that. She knew how to be content with what she had. But when Fareeha wasn't happy with Sombra particularly, she got very serious very quickly.

Fareeha let go of Sombra's hand and the Latina placed it in her lap calmly, a twinge of apprehension knotting her stomach.

"I'm tired of you hitting me." Fareeha said in a very regular tone, but to Sombra, it sounded like the most hostile thing she could possibly say.

"I-I'm sorry…" She said honestly.

Fareeha had listened to Angela and what she said about Sombra getting physically abusive with her. It didn't hurt her, but she knew it was abusive one way or another and the girl needed to learn how to be in a relationship.

"We're talking when we get home." Fareeha said quietly. Goosebumps rose over Sombra's arms. Was this fear?

"O-Okay…?" Sombra said as Fareeha turned on the car and backed out of the parking lot slowly, "Can I ask what it's about?"

"I need to talk to you about our relationship." Fareeha replied very plainly, pulling out onto the road. Sombra sat very still, trying not to draw attention to herself. It was a silent ride home, unfamiliar and rare between the two of them.

Meanwhile, Angela was listening to her favorite music and dancing in the front seat of the car.

That night had been perfect. The attention from Fareeha had been perfect. And Sombra seemed okay with her enough to talk with her, compete, and not call her a puta. The only thing that bothered her was how many times Sombra had insulted, belittled, or hit Fareeha out of nowhere, almost as if she were trying to be the more dominant one among the three. Angela didn't want to bother herself with it as she stepped into her house, locking the door behind her. Angela placed her purse on counter in the kitchen and stepped into the bedroom to flop herself over the couch. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it…she wished she could nap with Fareeha again, but buried it out of her mind as she slowly began to drift off, dreaming of smelling her cologne again and wondering how her hands would feel, holding her by the waist.

Fareeha and Sombra stepped into Fareeha's apartment and the Latina shut the door behind them. They took off their coats in silence and hung them on the coat rack. Fareeha walked around the couch and sat down, Sombra doing the same. It was unnaturally stiff between the two of them.

"I need to talk to you about respect." Fareeha began, looking at her hard in the eye, "I don't know if any previous relationship you've been in ever y'know…required you to be faithful and respectful to another person. You know in your mind it's wrong to hit people out of anger, right?"

"I don't hit you hard…" Sombra tried.

"You don't have to for it to hurt me emotionally." Fareeha said, leaning forward, "My point is, I'm seeing lately that you get angry at me and let it out physically. You get mad over little things; small things that you see when you nitpick me."

"What about you?" Sombra said in defense, "You…You don't…"

Fareeha stared at her hard and Sombra backed down again, intimidated.

"If you have a problem with me, save it for another conversation. Don't attack me out of defense for yourself right now."

Sombra looked away.

Fareeha lifted a hand and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"I'm sorry." Said the Latina.

"Thank you, I appreciate your apology." Fareeha said, "Now, I need to understand something. Did previous relationships you've been in have enough freedom for you to cheat on that person? Or did you have an open relationship?"

Sombra shook her head up and down and Fareeha shut her eyes very tightly.

"You do know you're not allowed to do that with me, right?" Fareeha asked.

"I can leave you…whenever I want." Sombra tried, trying to regain control.

"You're welcome to leave right now." Fareeha countered, her dark eyes hardening, "If that's your attitude about this relationship then you can get up and go immediately. I don't stay in relationships with people who don't respect me enough to understand that I want all or nothing. I will not, under any circumstances now, or ever, tolerate being cheated on."

Sombra shrunk back and Fareeha took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry." Sombra cried, "I really do try. I'm sorry, Fareeha it's just how my relationships have always been. I've always been free to hit and argue and fight and look at other people when I'm with someone else. Every relationship I've been in hasn't lasted…no one has been as perfect as you…"

Fareeha watched her, listening. Sombra began to tear up and she lowered her head.

"I'm really sorry…I really do love you, Fareeha. I act like this because it's always been how I acted. I never learned differently."

"Well learn." Fareeha said, reaching out to lift Sombra's head, "I'll help you."

The Latina shut her eyes and tried to stop crying, pressing her lips together. Fareeha moved forward and lifted Sombra into her lap, holding and hugging her lovingly. Sombra hugged her back, feeling immense comfort in her touch. Fareeha nuzzled into her hair and kissed her ear, making Sombra giggle.

"Hey," Fareeha said quietly, "I love you…"

"I love you too." Sombra replied, "I'll get better for you, I promise."

"You better." Fareeha smiled, kissing her lips softly then letting go, "The first step is stop smacking me all the time."

"Keep kissing me." Sombra said, grabbing Fareeha's shirt, "I didn't say you could stop."

The older girl chuckled and laid herself back while Sombra continued to kiss her.


	4. Weight Lifting and Coffee

"I don't know, Aleksandra." said Fareeha as she did her job as a weight spotter for a client, holding tightly against the weight with both fists, ready to catch it in case it fell, "Sombra has been bothering me lately."

"This is problem." Said the incredibly large woman beside her as she did the same for someone else, "You love her still?"

"Of course I do." Fareeha said immediately, turning her head to look at her, "It's just that lately she's really been acting up around a friend of ours."

"What do you mean?" the woman asked, "And I should remind you, call me Zarya. Don't like Aleksandra."

"Fair enough." Fareeha responded, "I suspect Sombra has a thing for this friend of mine. Her name is Angela. But Angela is into me instead of Sombra. Every time I ask Sombra about Angela she gets all quiet. I found out she's been texting her and Angela tells me she comes by for coffee at least twice every week uninvited. She also tells me she doesn't mind but I can tell there's something off about all of it. Sombra is trying to get close to her for some reason and she calls her all these pet names that are borderline…girlfriend names that she used to call me. I'm getting very upset with it."

"Girl, you got a problem there." Said the woman she was assisting with the weights.

"I agree." Zarya placed, "That's definitely not normal behavior."

"Keep in mind this has been happening over the time span of I'm going to say…a few months. It hasn't all happened at once." Fareeha said, "I just don't know…she doesn't seem as into me anymore."

It was true. Ever since Sombra and Fareeha's talk, several months had passed in which Sombra went to see Angela in secret, thinking that Fareeha wouldn't know or care. Angela always told Fareeha everything and so Sombra couldn't do anything with Angela without her girlfriend knowing. It bothered Fareeha immensely. Sombra never directly blew Fareeha off to go be with Angela but she went when there was nothing planned. Fareeha couldn't help but assume the worst. Sombra had backed off from hitting her, but she had to physically stop herself from doing it often. She still was very verbally abusive and clearly dodging affection, expecting Fareeha to respond when she did it but not responding when Fareeha did it. It caused the older woman acute anxiety. Sex was still a regular thing for them and Fareeha found comfort in it, but as time went on, she found comfort in it less and less when she noticed Sombra looking at the wall, faking her pleasure.

Fareeha and Angela had grown closer while Fareeha's relationship fell into disarray. Sombra always went to see Angela but Angela never went to visit her. Instead, Angela dropped by Fareeha's apartment every now and again with some baked goods for Fareeha to try. Last week had been lemon scones, the week before that it was cheesecake, and even before still was Angel food cake with strawberries. Fareeha immensely enjoyed Angela's company and while Angela had managed to put aside her romantic feelings for their friendship it occasionally shone through. It was never awkward or discouraged. Fareeha struggled not to reciprocate in a flirting manner but she managed to do it every time. Angela was close to her, but so was Sombra….even though Sombra didn't seem as close with her as before.

"Excuse me…" came a small voice from the front of the gym. Fareeha looked up, able to recognize Angela's particular voice through the sounds of weights clanking and other workout equipment being used. Angela stood at the front desk of the gym, asking for Fareeha. She was dressed in a beautiful brown coat and a cream colored scarf wrapped around her neck.

"Is that Angela?" Zarya asked suddenly, sounding surprised.

"…Yeah…" Fareeha smiled, something in her chest feeling light to see her at her work.

The spectacularly large woman took one look at the small girl who was now turning in the direction that the assistant was pointing, and then looked back to Fareeha. Her co-worker had never looked like that when Sombra came to visit. Zarya had seen Fareeha with Sombra before, but Fareeha had a different air about her when she was looking at Angela. She seemed genuinely happier. Angela hurried back into the room, looking around for Fareeha for a moment before catching sight of her smiling at her from across the way.

"Oh! Fareeha!" said the med student, rushing over happily, waving.

"She's cute, what the hell." Whispered Zarya.

Fareeha smiled and greeted her happily and Angela leaned over to kiss her on her cheek. "Hi, Fareeha!"

"Hehe….hi there." Fareeha chuckled, "What are you up to today, Angel?"

"I was passing by on my way to the store today and thought I might come over and see what you were doing in here." Angela put some hair behind her ear, letting her eyes travel over Fareeha's bare skin as she was wearing nothing but a skimpy top and work out shorts. Fareeha was beautifully dark. The more skin that was exposed, the more attracted Angela felt to her. Her muscles were so beautifully defined that it made Angela weak and giddy. Her six pack abs alone where enough to get her going.

"Well I'm spotting this person right here." Fareeha explained, "I'm holding the weight in case they drop it. Oh! This is Zarya by the way!" She gestured with her head towards the large woman who immediately broke out into a grin at the cutest girl she had ever seen.

"Nice to meet you!" Angela smiled, "I'd shake your hand but you got your hands full."

"One second." Zarya said in her thick Russian accent. She lifted one hand off the weight to shake Angela's hand in a rock hard grip, holding the weight with the other. It intimidated her but at the same time it made her feel very honored. The person Zarya was spotting announced that they were done and wanted to put the weight back. Zarya nodded and lifted the weight the rest of the way with one arm and Fareeha grinned as Angela gawked. "Is pleasure to meet you." Zarya smiled.

Fareeha lifted her client's weight back onto the holder as her client told her they were done for the moment as well. Angela reached forward to take Fareeha's hand quickly and the taller woman paused, looking down at her.

"Your hands are cold." Fareeha noticed.

"Oh…well it is still freezing outside." Angela shrugged as Fareeha reached down to take both of her hands, holding them in hers. The med student sighed in pleasure at the warm relief. Fareeha blushed lightly. Zarya eyed the both of them.

"Did you come for anything else?" Fareeha asked gently.

"I wanted to know if you would like to come over this afternoon…" Angela said suddenly.

Fareeha nodded, "Sure! Do we have anything planned or are we just gonna hang out?"

"I'd…like for you to help me bake something for Sombra's birthday. It's a Mexican dessert dish we can serve instead of cake. It's not very difficult to bake, but I'd still like you to come over and help. After I wouldn't mind some company while I studied for an upcoming test."

That sounded like a brilliant idea...except for the fact that Sombra's birthday was next month. Fareeha was nodding up and down in agreement even before Angela could finish her invitation.

"Sounds awesome." The older woman smiled, "When should I come by?"

"Whenever you're done here." Angela said, her tone seeming to change ever so slightly. Fareeha was captivating, especially in her work clothes. The two exchanged a glance, a smile, then a few words in parting, all in which Zarya watched from the side. When Angela left with a smile and wave over her delicate shoulder, the large woman clapped Fareeha on the back harder than she had ever done before.

"What is wrong with you?" she shouted, her accent flaring, "There went pretty girl. Prettiest, nicest girl I've seen in long time. And you stay with Mexican girl who hit you!"

Fareeha stared at Zarya. Simply stated, she was correct. She didn't know what to say.

"I am floored." Continued the body builder, crossing her arms.

"Okay, okay." Fareeha said, lifting her hands in defense, "Look, I'm just trying to do the right thing here. I don't want anybody to get hurt."

"Hurt!" Zarya laughed loudly, "Who is getting hurt here right now? You? Sombra? Or Angela?"

"N…none of us?" Fareeha tried nervously.

"So you're afraid of hurt to come." Zarya continued. Fareeha nodded her head and Zarya lifted a hand to rub her temples, "And here I thought you were smart."

"Aw, you thought I was smart?" Fareeha chuckled, "Wait…"

"Listen." Said the larger woman, putting her hand on her co-worker's shoulder, "I get you're afraid of hurting Sombra by going for better choice, but think of you first. What do you want? Are you staying with Sombra out of obligation, or are you staying with her because you want to?"

"Sometimes, it's better to stay where you are in a relationship if you're happy enough." Fareeha decided, "I don't want to stir up trouble. I'm…happy where I am."

"Are you happy with Sombra? Or are you happy with the money and support she gives you?"

It was then that Fareeha realized she was in the middle of a potential love triangle and that she could undoubtedly break it but at the cost of her own home. She lifted a hand to rub her eyes. She had thinking to do.

"I…I'm not sure. Look, I know it's wrong to keep someone around for money." Fareeha began while Zarya looked her in the eye, "I do love her…just…"

"Just what?"

"I…"

Fareeha sighed and shook her head, "We need to get back to work, Zarya. Why do you always make me question my life choices when we talk?"

"Been around a while." Answered the Russian, "Seen things, lived through them. I know what questions to ask to help better friend's lives."

"Well thank you for your concern." Fareeha said, patting her arm.

"Is no problem. Have fun tonight." And with a teasing wink that made Fareeha both roll her eyes and laugh nervously, the body builder walked away to tend to her clients. Fareeha did as well and as she did the same routine with different people about five times by the end of the day, she thought and thought about Angela. What should she do?

If she broke up with Sombra, Sombra would know immediately where Fareeha would go…and she might have the same idea as well since she seemed to think Angela and her were so close. She didn't want to leave newly single Sombra alone with a girl she had hopes of being with one day.

On top of leaving Sombra, Fareeha knew she didn't make enough money to support herself in her own home. She did at one point, but that was due to her mother's inheritance. There was nothing left now as it all went to bills as was her mother's wish. She was coming up empty on ideas. Should she keep around someone she wasn't happy with for money? That wasn't fair to Sombra…no one deserves to be used that way. Was Fareeha using her this entire time? No, of course not. She loved her, but in a much different way now…just as friends. Their whole relationship had begun through an unhealthy practice since Fareeha had felt physically alone and she needed help with rent. She thought selling her body for a price would be a good idea since she could just close her eyes and bear the sex for a while. Sombra made it fun. She made it interesting. She was a bad girl, and that was attractive to Fareeha's normal lifestyle. Sombra balanced out Fareeha's orderly life with a spontaneous attitude and Fareeha realized that she not only needed that, but she needed money. She remembered thinking that the money was just the icing on the cake, and not the entire reason why she began dating Sombra.

And with that conclusion, Fareeha left the building in a slightly better mood. She began her way home and crossed the street on the walk to Angela's apartment. Maybe she could talk about it with her. Spending time with Angela always put Fareeha in a better mood. She knew the girl liked her but she had managed to stay friends with her so well, and Fareeha being fond of her as well didn't mind the occasional compliment or glance that Angela would give her. Any attention from her was welcome. The woman pulled out her phone to see if she had received a call or a text from Sombra that evening. Nothing. She placed her phone in her back pocket, deciding not to text her for now. Fareeha then approached Angela's apartment, straightened her jacket, fixed her hair, straightened her shoulders, and lifted a hand to knock on Angela's door. Tonight would be wonderful.

She smiled, ready to greet Angela, happiness bubbling through.

When the door opened, a pair of familiar, dark eyes peered out and watched Fareeha's smile suddenly fade.

"What are you doing here?" asked the Latina in a tone that was unnaturally hostile.

Fareeha was confused. Why was she there? She usually came to see Angela in the morning. And it wasn't like her to skip straight to the bad moods around her. It was almost like Fareeha had walked in on something she wasn't supposed to. What was that look in Sombra's eyes…? She recognized it as the look she had given Fareeha when she asked her what she was doing on her laptop. She would normally glare at Fareeha, then shut it, before telling her nothing about it.

"F….fareeha!" Came a disoriented voice from inside. It was barely audible, but Fareeha's eyes widened. She suddenly got the alarming sense that something was very wrong. Sombra's eyes darkened and she went to slam the door shut but Fareeha threw her arm inside to catch it before she could be closed out. The heavy door slammed into her forearm and she grunted in pain before throwing her other arm inside, and prying it open with both hands. Sombra fell backwards onto the carpet, "You're not supposed to be here!"

Fareeha stepped over her, leaving the door wide open and rushing into the living room without a second thought. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over Fareeha as she saw Angela laid on her side on her couch, her face away from the light. Her pretty shirt had been opened to reveal her bra and her wrists were tied behind her back with a zip tie. Fareeha had difficulty processing what was happening. She saw the image, but she couldn't understand. She got to her knees and rolled Angela onto her back to where the girl looked at her through disoriented eyes. Fareeha recognized the distant look.

She slowly lifted her head to look at Sombra who was standing at the doorway. The Latina looked ready to run any second, but she had decided to stay for just a moment longer. The look on her face was neither scared, nor hateful. Fareeha reached into her back pocket and pulled out her swiss army knife and began to cut away at the tie that bound Angela's wrists.

"How long have you been doing this?" Fareeha demanded, surprised the girl hadn't run yet.

"…A few weeks." Sombra answered flatly.

Rage swelled in Fareeha's chest and her muscles tightened.

"And how long were you planning on doing this?" Fareeha finished cutting the tie and laid Angela on her back with her head propped up, beginning to button her shirt back up.

"Until I got caught." Sombra replied, "I'm in love with her…not you."

Fareeha wasn't fazed, "You could have at least told me before you tried anything ridiculous like this. You've done this without her consent. You realize this is rape, and cheating."

Sombra couldn't reply. Angela turned her head to look at Fareeha, still in the process of falling under the date rape drug Sombra had slipped into her cup of coffee. Fareeha was just glad that she had gotten here early enough that Angela had been in a state of mind where she could still speak.

"Disgusting." Fareeha hissed, standing up and walking towards her former girlfriend.

Sombra then forced herself into projecting a very fake, plastic smile, "Just…come with me. The cops will never find me if you sent them after me, anyway."

Fareeha felt a new emotion rising out of the pit that had formed in her stomach: disbelief. "What…"

"Come with me, Habibti." Sombra cooed, lifting a hand to stroke Fareeha's cheek, "We'll move someplace new together and I can support you. You won't ever have to be afraid of finding somewhere to live again. No more worrying about bills or rent. We can take care of each other."

"How…How could you say that?" Fareeha said in numb disbelief, "How could you come in here and do this to our friend, cheat on me, and then say everything will be alright if I go with you? Nothing will ever be alright if I go with you. I don't care about money or stability, I just wanted to be happy!"

Sombra's eyes hardened then and she smiled bitterly, "You're an idiot then."

"Why are you so afraid of the cops?" Fareeha asked, "Why would you be so afraid of them that you would mention them right away?"

The Latina's eyes received a flash of fear and Fareeha picked up on it.

"…Do I need to call the cops on you?"

"No!" Sombra said, trying to make herself seem relaxed but Fareeha saw straight through her.

"It's your laptop…Whatever you do on there, it has to be illegal because of this cop thing." She deduced, "If you weren't doing anything illegal, you wouldn't be thinking about the cops…not to mention where you got this date rape drug."

"You don't know what I do on my laptops, Fareeha." Sombra countered, "And I can leave my place faster than the cops can get there and you can't leave Angela here by herself."

It was like she was a different person. Part of Fareeha knew that Sombra was always capable of this, but the…act he put up for so long had been so convincing, so tricky. Fareeha didn't know what to do. Sombra was right in that she couldn't leave Angela. She also knew that Sombra wasn't lying about how fast she could leave. Fareeha held herself very still for some time, both women completely rigid, waiting for the other to do something, staring with hateful glares that weren't knew for Fareeha to receive.

Fareeha then reached forward, grabbed Sombra by the collar of her shirt, and threw her back inside. Sombra attempted to scramble away but the larger woman held her down, pressing crushingly against her chest with her arm. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and called 911.

When the operator answered, Fareeha told them the entire situation without stopping as Sombra clawed at her arm and face in a desperate attempt to be released. Fareeha gave the man Sombra's address while reporting suspicious activity, Angela's address, and finished with saying that she needed a paramedic as soon as possible.

"Fucking puta!" Sombra shrieked as Fareeha finished the call and placed the phone back into her pocket.

"Shut up." Fareeha sighed, desensitized from her foul mouth. She looked up to see Angela trying to sit up. She glared down at Sombra and stood up, holding her by the shirt and dragging her into the other room, anger making the task of moving her much easier.

"Angela." Fareeha said, throwing Sombra on the floor and holding her still with one arm as she squirmed to get away, "Angela can you hear me?"

"Fareeha…" Angela whispered, "Fareeha oh my god…I was right."

She fell forward onto Fareeha's chest and hugged her weakly. The older girl could smell the coffee still in the air and it made her sick. Angela slurred out a series of words that sounded like she had an idea that Sombra had been raping her and doing things to her without her permission, but the drug she used had left Angela with no memory afterwards.

Fareeha held her tightly with one arm, securing her to her chest.

"Don't…let go. I love you." Angela muttered deliriously.

"I won't. I won't let you go." Fareeha said comfortingly, lifting her other arm to hold her. Sombra took this moment to run, and Fareeha knew that she would be lucky to be gone by the time the police arrived. The door slammed as Sombra fled and Angela flinched away in fear. Fareeha made gentle sounds into her ear, her words loving and soft while Angela fell even deeper into the drug induced state.

"I'm here now, I'm here now." Fareeha whispered, "It's okay, I've got you."

It was minutes before the paramedics arrived.

Angela wasn't given that large of a dose, so the medic told Fareeha what to do when she woke up. Fareeha replied that Angela would most likely know what to do for herself since she had been taking care of herself through the aftereffects unknowingly this whole time. They gave her some medication for after the drug wore off and a few police asked Fareeha to come outside.

The older woman reluctantly left the building and two people stood outside in the cold, a man wearing a trench coat and the other was a redheaded woman with clothes that seemed too formal for where she was. The woman approached Fareeha, held up a badge and announced herself and her partner as FBI agents. She then explained that a team had rushed to the address Fareeha had given them, and they were lucky enough to catch Sombra just leaving her home, packing the rest of her things into her car. The moment she had seen them, she gunned it, but not before dropping one of her laptops onto the pavement as it slipped out of the backseat of her car. She had forgot to shut the backdoor and assumed it would shut on its own if she accelerated quickly enough. The cops were taking it into the station for examination and as the woman asked her if she would come in for questioning about the suspect, Fareeha snapped back to reality.

"Why?" Fareeha asked.

"Our men recognized her. She goes by the name 'Sombra' this time obviously." Answered the woman, like she had something very serious to do later, "She changes her name often. Is that what she told you to call her?"

Fareeha simply nodded her head up and down, confused and numb.

"Well…I'm surprised you haven't figured out that she's wanted in three countries…there's posters all over the local police stations."

"I've…never been to the station." Fareeha said, dazed and confused, "You're…saying she's this huge criminal…"

"Yes. I'm not sure why she picked to stay with you, and I'm not sure how you got tangled up with her, but you seem innocent enough so you couldn't be an accomplice."

How could this be? How could she have kept this a secret for so long? She wasn't JUST a criminal, she was a well-known criminal and that made the situation all the worse. She dated a criminal for almost 2 years…What did Sombra do? How could Fareeha not notice the suspicious activity? How she hid things, how she almost always looked over her shoulder before going into somewhere public, making sure Fareeha never watched the news, taking up all her time and attention and affection…she felt horrified.

She didn't expect this to happen all at once on a Saturday afternoon.

"I'm sorry, miss…" Said the detective asking for her name,

"Amari." Fareeha said quietly.

"Miss Amari." Said the agent, "I'm sure this must be a shock."

"You have no idea." Sighed Fareeha, doing her best to hold back tears, "What…what did she do? Who is she? What did she do to be wanted in…three countries?"

"I'm not the one to answer that question." Answered the woman, "You'll get the information you need in questioning."

"Q-questioning?" Fareeha asked, moving back to lean on the car.

"Yes," Answered the man in the trench coat in an even, controlled voice, "We understand that you might need some time to adjust, but for right now we need you to come down to the bureau. You have information on her, and we need everything we can get."

"A…alright." Fareeha said, "Could I…Could I come tomorrow?"

The two agents looked at one another and seemed to have a short conversation through eye contact in which the man smiled and the woman shook her head.

"Come to this address at 8 tomorrow morning." The woman said, handing Fareeha a card, "Take care of your friend and…for your sake don't try to run."

"Not…that you would." Added the man.

Fareeha said she understood very distantly and thanked both of them before rushing back inside. The paramedic was finishing up.

"Thank you." Said Fareeha, "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. Stay near her when she wakes up, she's going to need somebody to explain this whole situation to her…will you be covering the costs?"

"Costs?" Fareeha asked, looking at him curiously…then it dawned on her how expensive calling an ambulance was and she nodded her head up and down reluctantly. This was going to hurt her significantly…she wouldn't be able to afford this month's rent. She sighed softly and realized that Angela was worth it. She would figure something out.

When everyone had left and the house was still again, Fareeha made sure Angela was comfortable on the couch before taking the two cups of coffee back into the kitchen. She wiped off the counter, cleaned the cups, pouring out the stale coffee from the machine into the sink. Angela had the recipe she mentioned baking earlier with Fareeha sitting out at the back of the counter along with some of the ingredients already placed around. Fareeha sighed and looked at the simple amount of ingredients and thought of how nice it would have been just to walk into her apartment and…make a cake with her. How nice it would have been to sit with her and talk and explore her brain. How lovely I would have been to just…talk.

Fareeha turned back into the living room where she sat down at the end of the couch, placing her hands on her knees and watching Angela. She appeared to be half asleep while half awake, blinking blearily and confusedly. Fareeha felt like crying. Everything had happened too quickly for her to process. She turned away and leaned forward, covering her face with her hands, breathing evenly between her fingers. It was never easy to lose someone that had been in her life for years. She had thought she had known Sombra so well. She was nothing other than…Sombra to Fareeha. To learn that she was nothing but a criminal that had found a home in her made things so terrible. It was so sudden and jarring and…why? Why would she even try to lock down anyone into her life at all if she knew she would have to run in the end? She would never be happy living like this, and no one good for her would be alright with her living a life like this. She would spend her life in prison if she was caught, and she would live a life of constant running and hiding because of her decisions, pulling other people into her circle of sex, false love, and hope of any kind of companionship in the miserable life she had made for herself. Fareeha felt herself leaning forward, tears wetting her cheeks.

"I…" Angela sighed, slowly coming out of it, "Fareeha?"

She began to sit up slowly, rubbing her eyes like she was waking up from a nap. She stretched and yawned and the noticed Fareeha was bent over on her couch, crying. She had never seen Fareeha shed one tear in their whole time together and it was alarming. She reached out, confused.

"Fareeha…are you alright? I'm so sorry I fell asleep!"

"No." Said the older woman with a bitter smile, taking her hands away from her face and wiping the tears away with her shirt, "You were right."

"About what?" Angela asked, sleepily.

"…Sombra."

Then it hit Angela. Her suspicions had been correct. She had an idea that Sombra had been drugging her for the past few weeks. She had been finding symptoms of it in her daily life. She thought it was due to a bug going around, but when the symptoms wouldn't go away after a few weeks she began to study the symptoms in her books and found the answers in the illegal drugs sections. She then suspected Sombra was drugging her since she could pick up that she was attracted to her and had vague memories of her as she woke up after every "nap" she had taken. She had begun to be afraid of the Latina as the days went by, and Fareeha seemed the best person to go to about it. She couldn't tell her at work, and she just needed to be sure…

All Angela ever wanted was Fareeha. She had been pining over her for so long and while she had appreciated Sombra's kindness at first, she grew to resent her over time. She had no respect for the woman as she had no desire to change her obvious bad behavior with the woman Angela loved.

Angela moved closer to Fareeha, surprised at herself for not thinking thoughts more along the line of having Fareeha for herself. She was full of concern and genuine feelings of love for her dear friend.

"This must be hard." Angela sighed.

"It's harder for you." Fareeha replied quickly, lifting her head "She was DRUGGING you!" She stood and walked to the end of the room, then began to pace to the other, "I-I-I mean I never NOTICED!"

Angela placed her hands on her knees, and looked at her shoes, "I had already come to the conclusion that…Sombra was taking advantage of me so it comes as no surprise. She's gone now…I would be more upset if she was still here."

"For all we know she could be here!" Fareeha countered, whirling on her, "She knows where we live. She knows my personal information. She hates the both of us now…she could do horrible things."

"Fareeha." Angela said in a voice that calmed all of the woman's thoughts instantly. Fareeha stopped pacing and turned to the girl who looked like she was trying to hold back tears. She rushed across the room and hugged her tightly, remembering who the real victim was. Angela stood up and hugged her back tightly, nuzzling into her chest. Fareeha let her.

"It's...okay. I'm alright." Angela reassured her.

"I called the cops on her." Fareeha said, her chest feeling heavy, "I didn't know what to do!"

"Shhh." Angela said holding the larger girl and touching the back of her hair, "You did what you had to do. You did the right thing!"

Fareeha, for the first time, knew what it was like to be held then. She calmed down very quickly and noticed the smaller girl's fingers running through her hair. Angela lifted her head to look up at her. She slowly stopped touching her hair and made the face she always did when she knew she was overstepping her boundaries. Fareeha sighed and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Angela closed her eyes and couldn't help but grip Fareeha's shirt tighter.

"Thank you, Angela." Fareeha said quietly, lifting her hand to put a lock of her brown hair behind her ear, "You've been more of a partner to me than Sombra."

"Well…" Angela said, not sure what to say as her mind had begun its severe overthinking. She had dreamed of Fareeha saying something like that for a while and now that it was happening she wasn't sure what to do. It most likely wasn't healthy if Fareeha immediately turned Angela after this…

"I hope you'll stay with me…" she continued

It wasn't healthy to go from a two year relationship straight into a new one since Sombra would most likely be on Fareeha's mind. It would be a risk.

"I…don't want to make you feel like the rebound girl." Fareeha laughed.

Rebounds are bad. Rebounds are bad.

"If…you'll have me in the upcoming months after I figure out somewhere to live after…"

"What?" Angela asked suddenly, her hyper train of thought breaking.

"It's no problem." Fareeha answered, "I…just won't be able to afford my rent for this month. I don't know if I can stay there for much longer. Before this, Sombra was helping me here and there with cash for rent...so."

Angela suddenly had an idea. She didn't know if Fareeha had any family that would be willing to take her in. She hadn't mentioned much of her father other than that he lived in Canada somewhere. He was a scientist. Despite this, the younger girl knew what she had to do. She had the money…her parents supported her enough.

"Would you…"

Fareeha watched her curiously.

Both girls looked at one another then. It seemed very wrong for Fareeha to be advancing after JUST having Sombra forcefully removed from her life. Fareeha didn't want Angela to be a rebound girl. She was too good for that. Angela herself knew she was better than that.

But at the same time the girls met each other's eyes and something sparked between the two. They both rushed forward, closing the space between them almost impatiently.

Angela let out a gasp of deep, satisfied pleasure, lifting her hands to hold Fareeha's face. Fareeha sighed hard out of her nose and leaned forward, placing her hand under Angela's back. She moved her back against the couch to where they fell together, Angela moving willingly under Fareeha.

"I don't want to-" Fareeha said against Angela's mouth.

"Shhh!" Angela giggled, kissing her sweetly, "Shhh."

The girls had felt attraction to one another for so long that the second that Fareeha was available, the two couldn't contain it. Angela would have waited, but the moment she saw that Fareeha was okay with her she jumped the gun.

It felt too good. Both women clung to the other, exploring each other's bodies for the first time, unobstructed by obligation. Fareeha asked Angela breathlessly if she was allowed to take her own shirt off to which Angela replied with an eager nod of her head and hands eager to help. Angela pushed Fareeha against the back of the couch, smiling in joy while Fareeha laughed and undid Angela's messy ponytail to see what she looked like with her hair around her shoulders.

Angela leaned down and kissed Fareeha again, her thin fingers brushing lightly over toned, tanned skin. Her muscle definition was incredible. While Angela felt like she was in a dream, Fareeha felt like she was finally satiating an urge that had been there since the very beginning of their time together. Angela kissed her lips with such conviction that Fareeha felt her heartbeat speed up. She didn't know if it was because she was kissing a new person or if Angela was a good kisser, but her body was reacting in a way that it never had before.

She decided that it was because she loved her.

"This is…" Angela breathed against her mouth, "This is too much. This is…"

"It's okay." Fareeha whispered, picking Angela up and holding her against her chest, "This was mostly just us acting out of impulse just because we can. Now we've got it out I think we can feel a bit better…"

"I want to give you space." Angela offered, ",but you won't have a home soon."

"I'll figure something out." Fareeha said assuredly, knowing full well that she would most likely not be alright for the next few months. She could always ask Zarya to stay in her small apartment until she got an idea.

"I…want you to move in with me."

Fareeha looked down at Angela who was looking up at her now with an honest, caring expression. Her fingers fanned out over her chest and she leaned up to kiss her cheek lovingly. Fareeha looked past her at the wall. Should she? Things were moving very fast right now, and it was more important for her to think than to act.

"I…can't give you an answer right now." Fareeha said, lifting her hand to touch Angela's beautiful hair, "but I will soon, okay? I have some things to figure out and people to call. I even have to talk to some detectives tomorrow. Thank you so much for offering, you don't know how much it means to me."

"So…no?" Angela asked, taking both of Fareeha's hands.

"I told you that I can't give you an answer just yet." Fareeha smiled sadly, "Thank you for the comfort."

"Please don't leave. You're talking like you're going to leave." Angela persisted.

"Uh…" Fareeha started, "Look, this is so complicated and…scary. You know I want to stay but it's important for me to think about all this before we do anything further."

Angela went to say more but her heart that had been fluttering with joy moments before, sunk very slowly in a moment of realization that moments like this weren't really meant to last in her life. She might be with Fareeha in the future, but this moment; this moment in particular she felt was pivotal. She nodded and moved herself off of Fareeha reluctantly, watching her grab her shirt and place it back on. Angela blushed a little.

"Angie?" Fareeha said in the voice that she knew Angela responded to. The girl lifted her head.

"I love you too."

She leaned down to rest her forehead against hers, then kissed her softly. It felt so wonderful to feel warm, soft lips against hers that kissed her back with more passion than Sombra was ever capable of. If she wasn't careful, she knew she would get addicted. Fareeha felt Angela's fingers against her cheeks again and she opened one eye to see that Angela's were squeezed shut, savoring what she could.

Fareeha let go slowly, hypnotized, and attempting to break the spell.

She backed away while Angela's fingers slipped away from her skin…

The older woman stood up very straight, then turned for the door, leaving Angela on the couch.

Fareeha paused, halfway there, and laughed quietly.

Fuck all the logical prying and prodding that she should just go home first. She turned and rushed back to Angela.

"Look, I'm sorry I don't mean to flip back and forth with this." She said, very hurriedly taking her shirt off again to which Angela's eyes brightened and her mouth opening slightly, her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth in excitement.

"Don't…apologize." Angela said, holding her eager hands to her lap.

"I just…want to taste you some more." Fareeha said, crawling atop Angela who's heart hammered in her chest now like a bass drum, her entire body shaking. She laid back against the couch, limp, looking up at Fareeha with her hair framing her face. Blue eyes met brown and both women smiled again.

"Do you think this is the right thing to do?" Angela asked.

"…Yes." Fareeha replied, leaning down to capture Angela's lips with her own. In a time span that felt like seconds in their own world, Fareeha had her pants off and Angela was beginning to take her own clothes off while sliding down the shoulder strap of Fareeha's bra.

"Are you sure…you want to take your clothes off?" Fareeha said, stopping her by pressing her hand against her shoulder. Angela looked up at her and nodded her head wordlessly. Fareeha smiled comfortingly and kissed her face as she removed the rest of her shirt. Fareeha placed loving, careful kisses over her lips, jaw, collarbone, then over her chest. Fareeha could feel Angela's heartbeat against her lips and she smiled with a lusty internal satisfaction, moving her arms under Angela and holding her body as she kissed her skin softer still.

"F-Fareeha." Angela giggled, running her fingers through her hair, "That tickles."

The older woman received a shock and shiver at Angela's tone and she continued to kiss her, nuzzling into her breast. Angela played with her hair, knowing well that Fareeha loved the sensation. It was calming and relaxing, and the more Angela pet her head, the more Fareeha seemed to enjoy it. Her movements became less physical and more emotional. She admired Angela's body, the curves, the slopes, and delicate contours that made her body so wonderful. Fareeha considered their moments together a blessing before anything else.

"You're staying the night?" Angela asked softly. Fareeha lifted her head, smiling almost ashamedly.

"Yes…I might as well…I think we need each other right now." Fareeha responded softly, "If you're worried about me still being hung up on Sombra, don't be." She sat back and smiled, "I don't think that I felt romantically attracted to her for a while."

Angela sat up with her and touched her arms while Fareeha continued.

"I felt like she was more of my friend than a lover."

"Mm…" Angela said, running her fingers over her shoulders and over her chest and her abs.

"But spending five minutes with you lets me know what having a girlfriend should feel like."

Angela looked up at her, curiously.

"Not that…I'm asking you right away…We just had a lot of tension built up and…and…"

Angela touched Fareeha's abs and lowered her head to kiss them. Fareeha leaned back and bit her lip…

The younger girl couldn't help but stop for a moment to lift her head and relax herself, laying on top of Fareeha, skin pressing against skin. She smelled her scent and kissed her neck. She had waited so long and couldn't stop now that she was able to do what she liked. Fareeha laid her head back against the arm rest and Angela kissed her, touched her, hugged her and gave her the physical love and affection she had needed for a long while. Fareeha realized that the majority of the physical part of dating Sombra had been sexual and nothing more. She never realized how wonderful it felt to receive soft touching and kissing.

"A…Angela." Fareeha sighed, noticing herself out of breath.

"Yes?" The med student lifted her head from Fareeha's neck.

"You're very good at that."

Angela smiled and continued that way until Fareeha felt it was her turn to reciprocate. For hours it remained like that, the two satiating urges in ways only they felt were needed. It felt rushed but right; like it was meant to happen. The circumstances that lead to the events that day were unexpected but both felt like a falling out was going to happen eventually.

Angela and Fareeha clicked faster than they had clicked with anybody not only platonically but also sexually and romantically. They didn't know what would face them during the upcoming months, but they knew that this would blossom into something greater.


	5. Mysteries and Closure

"Thank you for coming in today, Ms. Amari." Said the woman Fareeha had talked to yesterday. The grieving woman sat at the other end of a small table in a dimly lit room that looked very much like the interrogation rooms one would see in sinister movies. It all felt so unreal. She had been disassociating all morning. When she had left Angela's home early that morning she felt a guilt that was entirely brought about by herself and it carried over into the rest of her day.

The things she had done the night before were purely that the only thing she had come to process and understand was the fact that she was single again. It was a mixture of sorrow and loneliness and years of not receiving what she needed that drove her to be physical with the med student. She knew Angela was more than able to give her the relationship she needed and the more Fareeha had thought about Angela, the easier it was to lose control when she was given the opportunity. She had been keeping her emotions and need for Angela inside for so long that the second they were acceptable to let out, everything came with it. Truthfully, neither Angela or Fareeha felt that their actions were acceptable that night. They needed one another, but they didn't need to create something both weren't ready for.

"Ms. Amari…" Repeated the detective.

Fareeha looked up slowly from where she had been focusing on her train of thought, her wounded eyes meeting the detective. An air of dread choked her. Fareeha would finally learn more about this woman she had thought she knew for years. She was hardly ready.

"Yes…" said Fareeha, her leg bouncing on the floor nervously.

"Sombra is a world class hacker." Began the detective, "She had her start in New Mexico and then began working her way up the crime ladder as a criminal that had amazing, almost supernatural talent with a computer. She could hack into criminal databases, buildings, doors that are locked by keycard, she even organized a prison break for a drug cartel through a room on a third story in a nearby hotel."

Fareeha narrowed her eyes, absorbing the information as best she could. All Fareeha thought about was how Sombra kissed her, hugged her, and loved her as purely as she could. She even went so far as to call their sex 'making love' occasionally. Fareeha had loved her back and taken care of her and she had made her laugh and in turn she made Fareeha laugh and fall in love with her until the very end.

This couldn't be real.

"Her real name, to us, is Alejandra. She's able to disappear, then reappear some time later with a whole new identity. She's able to erase everything about herself, and then find a new man or woman who will agree to be in a relationship with her to avoid suspicion of a single woman living alone. It gives her cover. She knows drug lords and people in power all across the world and none of them can contact her or find her unless she contacts them first. If paid enough, she has the ability to kill. She's been known to malfunction elevators, train cars, and even crushed someone under a theme park ride. Think of her as a hacker hit man for not only murder, but theft, and other crime."

Alejandra.

That was her name.

Fareeha lowered her head once more and lifted a hand to run her fingers through her hair.

Alejandra…not Sombra.

"Are you alright, Ms. Amari?" The detective asked.

"It's…a lot of information to take in." Answered Fareeha whos head was swimming in the horrible, sudden fear at the fact that she had been dating a killer for years. The amount of arguments the two had…Alejandra could have killed her effortlessly and made it seem like it was an innocent accident. Why did she stay?

"I understand." Said the woman who was clearly used to seeing men and women shaken, "Now, can you tell us everything you know about her?"

Fareeha paused and tried to keep her thoughts in check. She sighed and massaged her temple. She had a headache.

"She lived in a separate apartment from me." Fareeha began, "I've only been there a few times but she had at least three laptops laying around. One she kept in her bedroom, one downstairs on a desk and one that was hidden in a bag in the closet. She had a safe in there too which I thought was strange but I guess I know what it was for now. She would disappear sometimes at night…then come back the next morning looking like she hadn't slept. It happened often. She would never tell me what she did on her laptops. She always bought new ones all the time. What…did you find on the one she dropped?"

"Nothing." Said the detective bitterly, "On the way back to the bureau the men who had confiscated the technology crashed due to the laptop's battery exploding remotely. We have nothing."

Fareeha shook her head and laughed incredulously. This was insane. This was more than insane, it was impossible. What were the odds…

"Ms. Amari?"

What were the odds?

"Yes?"

"I understand that she was in love with your friend Angela Zeigler."

Fareeha clenched her jaw and sighed very deeply, "Yes…she was drugging her with a date rape drug and tying her up. She liked…bondage. It's the kind of drug that makes you forget everything that happened after and you feel shitty."

The detective nodded her head.

"That's new for her."

"Oh. Good. Glad she's branching off into this sort of thing now." Fareeha spat acidly, dark sarcasm making her feel slightly better, "I'm sorry I can't be more help."

"You've been a victim." Said the detective, "We'll be around in case something happens with her. She's been known to come back and finish what she started."

Fareeha's stomach dropped…finish what she started?

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"She's never left lose ends in her life." The detective said, "The men and women or good friends she had made in her time somewhere always die in unexplained ways. Sometimes we never find them, sometimes we find them and…I won't give you details."

Fareeha sat back in her chair, looking blankly at the wall. Now her life was in danger? Should she even stay home? Should she move? Should she erase her existence just like Sombra? What about Angela? Sombra…Alejandra had been in love with her too. Her life would be in danger too. Angela would come into questioning later that day and it would give Fareeha time to think.

When she was released from questioning, she was given a personal number to call either the detective or her partner. She left the building feeling as if she were still in some kind of impossible nightmare. She knew this sort of thing happened to other people but she never could have seen herself in this situation. She knew the hard reality was waiting for her along with an acute fear of death. Her train of thought roared deafeningly as she opened her card door and sat herself down in the warmth of the sun that shone through the windshield. Her hands clutched the wheel and she leaned her head forward, pressing it against the top. The silence inside the car made the ringing in her ears more prominent….then all of her thoughts were silenced in a single moment.

"Fareeha?"

A soft knock came at the window and the woman looked up to see Angela standing in the wind outside. Fareeha opened the door a little ways, said, "Come sit down" then closed the door again. Angela nodded and hurried to the other side of the car, opening the door and sitting herself down beside Fareeha.

Silence enveloped the car once again, the only sound was Fareeha's finger tapping rhythmically against the steering wheel. Angela looked ahead of her and Fareeha did the same.

"So…" Angela began, "You just got out of questioning?"

"Yes." Fareeha replied, knowing that Angela was in for one hell of a day, "I…I'm so sorry I dragged you into this."

"You didn't drag me into anything." Angela replied, stopping herself from placing a hand on Fareeha's tense shoulder, "You came into my life in a way I wasn't expecting and I persisted. I wanted to be with you…"

"We also need…to talk about last night." Fareeha sighed, shaking her head, "I know that things got out of hand."

"I agree." Angela responded, looking away.

"It was just…"

Both fell quiet again and Fareeha lifted a hand to run her fingers through her hair. Angela placed a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. Fareeha looked at her out of the corner of her eye. Angela's ponytail seemed to be her favorite style to go with. Her hair had enough lift that it sort of naturally spiked out in an attractively frizzy way. Her blue eyes were always analyzing and she seemed to always be thinking. Her life was so planned and everything seemed so easy and on a routine that Fareeha felt like the worst person in the world for wrecking her focus and way of life. She watched as Angela's lips parted in the way they always did when she was trying to think of something to say.

"When I met you at the lake that day I didn't expect to find myself attracted to you as much as I am." Fareeha admitted, talking so the blonde didn't have to.

Angela turned her head to look at her, her blue eyes softening and a smile curving at her lips.

"It's alright." Said the younger woman, "I know I came on strong. Since you never really told me to keep it held back I just sort of let it slip out every now and again, hoping you'd leave Sombra eventually."

Fareeha breathed out through her nose quickly at the fake name. She then fought past her sorrow and smiled, "I should have never…gotten involved with her in the first place."

"How?" Angela asked.

"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable telling you right now." Fareeha said, reaching over to take Angela's hand. She held it softly and Angela knitted their fingers together.

"You think we should take it slow." Angela said after a soft pause, "Let things sink in."

"Yeah." Fareeha answered, "I'm sorry that I let it go that far last night."

"Don't apologize." Angela sighed, smiling, "I needed you right then…coming out of that drug was never easy. It's like I had been hit in the head and laid on the couch…I might as well have been. I don't know if I'm ever gonna find a way to get rid of these headaches."

Fareeha smiled softly and leaned over to kiss Angela's cheek softly, "I would like to be with you and help you through this."

Angela leaned forward and lifted her hand to catch Fareeha's face before she could move away. Silence filled the car for the third time and Fareeha felt so sick of it. Angela was the only one that could quiet her mind. Fareeha loved the way Angela's cool fingers felt against her cheek and she leaned her head into her palm slightly and reached behind Angela to carefully pull Angela's pony tail out.

"Why do you do that?" Angela asked, removing her hands from Fareeha in an attempt to fix what she thought to be her messy hair.

"I love the way you look when your hair is down." Fareeha admitted, backing away slightly to look at her. Angela blinked, lowered her hands and shyly looking away. The older woman reached down to stroke her cheek. Angela giggled and lifted a hand to touch Fareeha's.

"Well I…" Angela began, then paused and pressed her lips together as she always did. Fareeha ran her thumb over her mouth and Angela looked her in the eye, vulnerability shining behind the sky blue.

"When you come out of there, just know that I'll be here for you." Fareeha said.

Angela's face fell. Fareeha watched her ever curious eyes as they flicked from her to the building as if she were just remembering where she was. Angela sat back and Fareeha let her go. Again, the choking sense of dread encompassed them both and the younger woman looked nervously to her companion.

"You say that like I'm going to hear something horrible." Angela muttered.

Fareeha remained silent and played with Angela's hair tie in her fingers for a few moments before the younger woman took a breath, then placed a hand on the door handle of Fareeha's car. She held it for a few moments in which Fareeha watched her, wishing she would never go and hear what she was about to hear. Angela's hand slipped away from the handle and she turned around, smiling sadly.

"I don't want…to go in."

"I'll be here for you." Fareeha said, smiling, wishing she could just drive away with her and hide somewhere so secluded that no one would ever find them.

"I know you will be…" Angela replied, "Answer me this before I go in."

Fareeha nodded and continued to twist the hair tie around her fingers.

"What are we?"

The older woman held Angela's gaze and said in a level tone, "On hold."

Angela smiled, albeit a bit sadly in a reluctant understanding. She then leaned forward and kissed Fareeha's cheek as she did to her not moments ago and lingered there for Fareeha gave her comfort unlike she had ever found in anyone else.

"Will I need you tonight?" she whispered.

Fareeha closed her eyes slowly and smelled a slight perfume from her lovely, soft hair, "…You won't want to be alone alone..."

"Will you be there for me?" Angela asked.

"As long as you can be there for me." Fareeha replied.

The older woman moved away and watched as fear clouded Angela's face at her words. Fareeha nodded towards the door handle and Angela took one last look at Fareeha, then excused herself from the car, holding the strap of her cream colored purse against her chest in a white knuckled grip as she walked through the front doors.

Not able to stand the sound of the quiet anymore, Fareeha turned the keys in the ignition and the rumble of the car starting to life filled her a strange relief. She turned the radio up so loud that she could barely think, then pulled out of the driveway on her way home.

* * *

By the time the meeting was over, Angela was in tears. Too much information had been given to her at once and a possible threat of death had her already reeling, aching head stinging. She left the room looking like she had been injured somehow, and the ride back home felt like she was riding towards a death trap. What did she get herself into? Should she move back home to Switzerland? Should she just forget all about Fareeha and find a nice girl or boy back home where she wouldn't have to worry about…

It was bad enough to be sexually assaulted, which was a delicate subject in and of itself for her. She hadn't given it much thought before it was actually done to her. She was a private, orderly person and she didn't like her life being disrupted like that. But now, not only had it been disrupted, it was to be continuously disrupted almost daily due to the unending fear of assault or possible homicide.

As she stepped into her apartment, her keys jingling lightly in her fist, she rushed to the other end of the room to turn the TV on. Ambient noise flooded the room and she began to pace. Should she move back to Switzerland? Should she? She walked back and forth, her eyes flicking to the windows at the front of her home then back to the TV and then the floor. Her beating heart hadn't slowed down since the detective had first begun to tell her who Sombra truly was. Angela was exhausted but her panic hadn't subsided. She wanted to sit down but she couldn't bare the sight of her own couch.

What would be her first move? She should avoid elevators now? Would she be smashed in between an electric door or shot from a third story building on her way to school? Would she be taken and never heard from again? Would she never see Fareeha again?

Fareeha…Oh, Fareeha.

She had known about this in the car before she went inside.

Angela thought to call her but she found her hand stopping as she reached towards her pocket to pull out her phone. She needed to think. She couldn't drown out her fear by losing herself in Fareeha's touch or gaze again. The woman wasn't a coping mechanism. Angela had to deal with this chokingly real problem on her own.

She was in the middle of her schooling. She couldn't leave for Switzerland. Maybe she should change addresses and…bring Fareeha with her. It would most likely interfere with her work situation but Angela could always work something out with her parents who had supported her this far in her endeavors in America. They could always…work something out. And if not, Angela would be happy living on the streets. So long as she had Fareeha.

It wasn't the dear girl's fault that Angela had been brought into this mess. She was just looking for love…

The woman realized that she had stopped pacing and lifted her head to pay attention to a commercial that was running for a used car business a few miles away. She sighed, her brain going blank for a much needed moment of clarity. She slid her hand down her side and into her pocket to bring out her phone. She dialed Fareeha's number almost unconsciously. It was instinct. She didn't feel any regret.

It rang three times, then the woman picked up the phone, the sound of music blaring in the background.

"Hello?"

"Can't stand to be in the quiet, either, huh?" Angela said sadly, smiling at the sound of her voice.

"Oh god." Fareeha sighed, her smile clear through the phone, "Yeah I can't…really look at the windows either for some reason."

It felt good to hear that Angela wasn't alone in this…

"Do you want to come over and bake something?" Angela asked.

"…How about you come over here and we can go to the store and buy some baking ingredients for a recipe that you pick?"

That sounded like the best thing possibly ever.

"Oh! Yes!" Angela grinned, the situation momentarily forgotten, "Let me pick something out! Do you want something simple?"

"Bring over a recipe that's fun." Fareeha replied.

"Alright…I will!" Angela said, rushing into the kitchen and opening her recipe drawer to rustle through her papers, stained notecards and magazine clippings. Then she saw one under the dessert section that she pulled out and set on the counter, grinning.

"See you in a few?" Fareeha asked, "I'll pay for the stuff."

"No no, I'll take a few more minutes to go the store and grab the ingredients." Angela said, rushing to grab her purse, "You just sit tight and wait for me okay?"

"…Alright. Hurry." Fareeha laughed, but a part of Angela could tell that she was serious. She hung up the phone with a sweet goodbye, grabbed the recipe and rushed out the door with her purse. She rushed hurriedly to the store and grabbed the things for the recipe. It wasn't much, and the more she thought about it the faster she went. Fareeha was waiting out on the step for her when she arrived and Angela grinned as she watched the attractive woman stand and wave eagerly.

Nobody would want to be alone after what they just learned so their time together was justified, Angela thought. She grabbed her bags from the passenger seat and almost bounced up to Fareeha who ushered her inside by placing a hand at the small of her back. Angela stepped inside and Fareeha followed her to the kitchen eagerly where the younger woman sat the bag down on the table for one and began removing the simple ingredients.

"…Is that..." Fareeha began, a smile tugging at her lip.

"Smores!" Angela announced

As the two looked down over the pile of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers they smiled, wondering how they would make them.

"What are the raspberries for?" Fareeha asked, standing close to Angela and sliding a hand down her back and into her back pocket. Angela straightened and bit her bottom lip as she felt Fareeha's fingers fanning out, touching a bit of her ass.

"M…" Angela began, "I…just kinda love raspberries and I thought…"

The taller girl reached out and grabbed the small box of raspberries and her hand moved slightly in Angela's pants, making her heart leap and her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth. Fareeha held them up and shook them in front of Angela's face.

"You like raspberries huh? I'm more into blackberries, but you picked out a good batch here." She removed her hand from Angela's pants to open the container. Fareeha ate one, then held another out for Angela. The younger girl took it and suddenly had an idea.

"Fareeha…" She began, placing the berry between her lips, "Come and get it."

The taller woman froze at the sight of the gorgeous woman asking for that kind of attention and paused for just the right amount of time before she leaned down close and flicked the tip of her tongue so perfectly that it brushed against Angela's lips while taking the berry from her mouth in one motion. Angela received a shock down her spine and the hair on her arms stood on end.

"So how are we going to make these?" Fareeha asked, in disbelief at how she did that correctly, "Microwave?"

"S…sure." Angela said quietly pleasantly stunned. She reached out to grab one of the bars of chocolate and Fareeha opened the marshmallows. The music that was playing on the TV kept both of their minds at ease until Angela noticed Fareeha looking almost absentmindedly at the doorway every now and again. They began to make the dessert, placing the ingredients together and sticking them in the microwave. Not much was said while they made their snacks but both sat down at the table while the microwave hummed away.

They avoided each other's eyes. Fareeha's mind began to wander at the possibility that she might be putting Angela's life in danger by being around her, but then she remembered that Sombra was after her just as much as she was after Fareeha. Alejandra…not Sombra.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Angela asked, quieting Fareeha's thoughts once more.

"There's not much to say." Fareeha said, rubbing her eyes tiredly, "It's unfair to you, it's unfair to me. It's scary and wrong. I thought about moving back home for a while but I don't have anyone else in my family alive other than my father to rely on for support. My dad doesn't really want to have anything to do with me either and I wouldn't do well in the cold up in Canada."

"You thought about moving back to Cairo?" Angela asked, thrumming her fingers on the table, "Funny…because I thought about moving back home to Switzerland."

Fareeha lifted her head to look at Angela, her face calm and reassuring. The taller woman ignored the sound of the beeping microwave and sighed, "I…I don't know. I was going to ask you to come with me but I don't know how I'd support you. And when it comes to me staying with you I don't want to come live with you and be such a burden on your life. You're a student…you're studying to be a doctor someday. You've got a promising life ahead of you and I'm…I just want to be happy." The taller woman let her eyes fall to the floor again and she lifted her hand to run her fingers through her hair, "That's all I really ever wanted."

Angela stayed silent, watching her. She thought about insisting that Fareeha stay with her because she knew that she could make her happy. Fareeha wasn't a burden in her life, she was a blessing, and Angela had every faith in herself and Fareeha that they could make it through this mess that this criminal had created.

"I'm sorry." Fareeha said, standing up and moving towards the living room, "I just…"

"Hold on, hold on." Angela said, impatiently standing and reaching for Fareeha's hand, "Fareeha…"

"A-and you!" Fareeha laughed bitterly, taking her hand away, "You! You went through all this just because my ass decided to save a pretty girl from falling in a lake. I don't regret a second of my time with you, but I just wish that you hadn't been dragged into this. Maybe it's best if I just…"

"Stop it!" Angela insisted, reaching forward to grab her hand defiantly, squeezing it in a sure grip, "Stop talking like that."

"I can't." Fareeha said adamantly, "Look, your life is in danger and-"

"It's NOT your fault and we're BOTH in danger!" Angela said, raising her voice for the first time.

Fareeha instantly quieted herself and Angela let go of her hand, "You don't understand." She said quietly, "You truly don't. None of this is your fault. None of it. I'm…head over heels for you. I've loved you for ages, Fareeha, you know this. Do you really think that I would blame you for what someone else did? Do you think I'm the kind of person to leave when things are rough?"

"This isn't just rough." Fareeha interjected, "This is…terrifying."

"Be that as it may," Angela continued, "You weren't the one that came around and made me uncomfortable. You weren't the one that took advantage of me and…touched me without consent. You weren't the one that went so far as…"

"I know…I know its okay, you don't have to talk about it." Fareeha said calmly, lifting a hand to rub her face. A pause happened and Angela looked over her shoulder to look at the microwave that had long since finished. She then turned her head to look up at Fareeha. She found herself reaching forward to place a hand against her chest.

"I'm…scared." She said honestly.

Fareeha got a sudden sense of protection. It settled over her gently and a lump formed her in her throat. She watched as Angela moved close to her, her face red and tears in her eyes. Angela wasn't the type to admit weakness or fear. The day she had found out she had been taken advantage of, she had comforted Fareeha instead of giving herself time to heal. Fareeha reached down and placed a hand over the back of Angela's head, and moving her forward against her chest. Angela placed her hands around Fareeha's waist and let out all her panic and sadness at once. A sound escaped her throat that broke Fareeha's heart. She rubbed her back and sighed deeply, sadness overcoming every thought in her mind.

Fareeha held her securely until she was through with her crying. Angela had never cried in front of anyone other than her mother and she didn't want to lift her head. Fareeha carefully placed a hand on the back of Angela's hair, "I'm here for you."

Angela hugged Fareeha tighter and the taller woman smiled in genuine pleasure, kissing the crown of Angela's head.

"I got…tears on your shirt." Angela muttered in a voice so disgruntled it made Fareeha laugh.

"...You're so cute." Fareeha grinned continuing to stroking her hair in the way she knew Angela liked, "That's okay…come with me."

She moved away from Angela, beckoning her forward with gestures from both hands. The smaller girl followed Fareeha back into the living room and onto the couch where the taller girl laid herself down and opened her arms for Angela to lay down atop her. Angela gladly did so and straddled Fareeha, resting her head in the crook of her neck while the older girl settled herself into this warming position. She didn't care what happened to her as long as Angela could live the life she wanted to live. All would be well with her just to see the girl happy. She loved the feel of the woman atop her as she snuggled against her.

"No matter what, I want you in my life, Angela." Fareeha confessed, her fingers running up and down the smaller girl's back, "I don't want to leave this place and leave you without knowing what it's like to be with you first. I'm really hung up on you and I feel like if we go our separate ways we'll miss a huge opportunity here."

"I agree…" Angela said, feeling her body relax reluctantly, "I'm so tired."

"It's been too big of a day…" Fareeha hummed, slipping her hands under Angela's shirt to scratch her back sleepily, "Too much happened. We need rest."

Angela lifted her head slowly to look at Fareeha, then she sat up, still straddling her. Fareeha watched as the med student slipped her arms inside of her shirt and undid her bra. The older woman didn't think to ask what Angela was doing, but didn't complain as Angela folded her neat little bra, then laid it down on the floor next to the couch. Fareeha received a shiver of pure attraction as Angela rested herself back against Fareeha's chest, her breasts pressing just under her own.

"Hope you don't mind me getting comfy." Angela sighed, lifting her hand to place against one of Fareeha's breasts.

"N…not at all." The older woman replied, trying not to sound shaken.

Angela nuzzled into Fareeha's shirt, playing with the small wrinkles in the fabric with her fingers. Fareeha felt aroused but held it back for relaxation's sake. Neither of them knew what to do next, but neither had the energy to care. Due to the stressful, sleepless night before, they were thrown off schedule and shaken to their very cores. Finding comfort in one another was the best they could do, and a drowsy afternoon in a clean room with white noise coming from a television accompanied by the smell of warm chocolate was an ideal place to rest.

Fareeha could smell the sweet scent of Angela's shampoo and remembered the fact that she forgot to shower that morning. Angela always smelled so good. She wanted to squeeze her and hold her and kiss her and love her until the sun set and until it rose again. God she was in too deep.

"You smell good." Angela stated suddenly.

"I forgot to shower this morning." Fareeha sighed, smiling, "I don't smell good."

"You smell like you." The smaller girl said, nuzzling into her chest, "I like the way you smell…it's nice."

"You smell like...lemon." Fareeha said quietly, lifting a hand to touch Angela's hair, "You smell so clean."

Angela lifted her head and crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at her with warm, blue eyes, "You smell a little bit like a pine tree."

"A pine tree…" Fareeha smiled, amused, "Never heard that one before."

Angela giggled sleepily and moved herself upwards slightly so that she was eye level with Fareeha, "I bet you taste good too."

Fareeha lifted her hands and brushed the hair away from Angela's face so she could have a good view of her soft face, "Why don't you try me out and see how you like it?"

The med student smiled in a way that gave Fareeha a jolt of pleasure as Angela leaned down slowly and kissed her lips. Fareeha's eyes shut slowly and Angela made a soft, quiet hum that made Fareeha melt underneath her. The older woman doubted if she was real or a dream. She began to wonder if this was all a dream in which she would wake up and bring to reality. The waking moments never came and she was lulled into a wonderful trance by a girl she loved. Angela combed the hair away from Fareeha's face, running her fingers from her hairline back.

"Mmm." Angela hummed before letting go, "So good."

"I don't taste like a pine tree do I?"

Angela giggled and kissed her nose, "No, Habibi…"

To be called an affectionate name in Arabic, Fareeha smiled at her thoughtfulness and giggled, reaching up to pull Angela back down into more kisses. She felt herself growing more and more addicted to the softness of her lips, the presence of her face inches from hers, and the heat of her small body above her.

Sombra didn't cross her mind once within those quiet moments of peace.

"Angela…" Fareeha whispered, letting go and losing herself in her blue eyes once more, "I'm glad you're here. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"I don't know what I would have done without you either." Angela responded quietly, "But I don't want you to leave me…I'll be scared without you."

"I won't leave you." Fareeha said, holding her tightly, "We'll get through this."


End file.
